


Danganronpa 3: True Despair

by AlexIsOkay



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 12:58:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 53
Words: 57,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10491441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexIsOkay/pseuds/AlexIsOkay
Summary: I'll be blunt, I didn't like Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc. It had a lot of little issues, but the biggest thing that put me off was the ending. I was hoping to see Junko go through the different members of Class 77 one at a time, using her knack for manipulation to turn them towards despair by really getting to the core of what would break them down as a person. I wanted to see what made each of them tick, and what could cause overwhelmingly cheerful and positive characters like Sonia or Nekomaru to turn so incredibly evil. Needless to say, I was pretty bummed out when I found that the answer was "literal mind control." So, this is my attempt to remedy that, and to create a story that's more interesting than some funky hypnosis video. Hopefully I'll do the series proud. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

“Dammit!” Fuyuhiko Kurzuyuu’s voice echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of his fist connecting with the wall. It wasn’t the first time; his knuckles were already raw and bloody, smearing streaks of red across the wall with each blow. He was shaking with anger, with pure unhinged rage. Down the hall he could hear the murmur of voices, police officers and school security quietly talking about the situation. He didn’t know what they were saying. He didn’t want to.

  
She was dead. Natsumi was dead. He had only seen the body for a few moments before he had been dragged out of the music room, but the image was already burned into his brain. His little sister slumped over against the stage, unmoving, blood streaming drown her head. He was going to kill them. He didn’t know who had done this, he didn’t know how he was going to find out, but he was. And once he had, he was going to make them pay. He was going to kill them.

  
“Tragic, isn’t it?” His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a girl, and the sound of heels clicking down the hallway. He looked up, and while he had never spoken to this girl before, he immediately knew who she was. Junko Enoshima. Her face was everywhere, plastered on magazine covers and billboards, showing up during commercials for makeup and clothing. Fuyuhiko was pretty sure Natsumi had owned her skin cream at one point.

  
“What the hell do you want??” he shouted back at her, infuriated by the fact that she just seemed so… Calm. Her tone of voice, the way she carried herself, it was as if she didn’t care about the fact that she was ten feet away from a murder scene. As if she didn’t care about the fact that his little sister was dead. He didn’t even know how she had managed to get in here in the first place, given that the whole building was supposed to be closed off at the moment. They had only let him in because the victim had been his sister.

  
“Wow, you’re not even trying to buck the whole yakuza stereotype right now, are you?” Junko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and twisting her face into a slight frown. “I’m amazed you can pack that much anger into such a small little body. No wonder you’re so unstable.”

  
“If you don’t get the fuck out of here right now,” Fuyuhiko growled back, pointing a finger sharply down the hall as he spoke, “they’re gonna have two bodies to start investigating!”

  
“Scary,” Junko replied. “I know that’s not an empty threat either. Killing me would be pretty misguided though,” she insisted. “It wouldn’t bring your sister back. And it would ruin your only lead about who the actual killer was.” When Fuyuhiko heard those words he froze, eyes immediately going wide.

  
“I swear to god, if you’re fucking with me-”

  
“Oh come on, I’m not _that_ evil,” Junko replied, rolling her eyes as if the accusation were particularly outlandish. “I can tell you’re already grieving. I wouldn’t show up just to make that even worse.”

  
“Then prove it,” Fuyuhiko demanded. “Tell me who killed my sister!”

  
“Jeez, you’re impatient, aren’t you?” Junko’s tone remained calm, casual, as if she weren’t talking about something as serious as murder. She talked about death the same way she talked about silly things like crushes. It was all the same to her. “It’s not really that hard to figure out though, is it? In fact, it should be pretty obvious.”

  
“If it’s so fucking obvious then quit wasting my time and tell me!” Fuyuhiko shouted back. If it weren’t for the fact that Junko might have been able to help him he would have already killed her. That was what he told himself, at the very least.

  
“Your sister had a lot of enemies you know,” Junko pointed out. That wasn’t much of a secret to anyone. Everyone who had so much as spoken to Natsumi knew that she was nothing short of a complete bitch. “I doubt that many people are gonna miss her now that she’s gone. Still, that doesn’t mean that most of them would be willing to go as far as killing her. Most people take that way more seriously than you do, you know.”

  
“I said to quit wasting my time!” Fuyuhiko shouted again, feeling himself get more and more enraged with every word that came out of Junko’s mouth. Suddenly he understood why he had never bothered to speak to this girl before.

  
“Jeez, I’m getting there, calm down,” Junko insisted, rolling her eyes. “She had a lot of enemies, like I said, but who was the one person she hated more than anyone else? You should know this one! After all,” she continued, an enormous grin starting to cross over her face, “you’re in the same class as her.” Once again Fuyuhiko’s body tensed up, standing there in shock as he realized what Junko was saying.

  
“Koizumi?” he asked, his voice suddenly quiet compared to how it had been before. “You’re telling me she did this?”

  
“Of course not!” Junko laughed. “That little shutterbug talks a big talk, but she wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s not a killer you know, not like you and your hired sword.” Fuyuhiko felt a lump form in his throat when Junko mentioned that, knowing precisely who she was talking about. But how the hell had she learned about that in the first place? How did this girl know any of this? It didn’t make any sense.

  
“Her friend on the other hand,” Junko continued, glazing over that detail as if it were nothing to her. “That reserve course bitch… What’s her name again? Seto? Shito? Sato! That’s it!” she exclaimed. “So yeah, Sato did this. You can go get your revenge now!” she giggled.

  
“Why the hell should I believe you?” Fuyuhiko asked. He wanted to believe it, wanted to think that he knew who his sister’s killer was now, wanted to think that he would be able to avenge Natsumi. But even with rage threatening to cloud his judgement, he could still recognize that Junko’s testimony was hardly proof. Even if it did all seem to make sense.

  
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Junko replied, seeming startlingly casual about that, given what a big deal she had made about this information in the first place. “It’s your choice. You can ignore me if you want to, and you can go the rest of your life not knowing who killed your darling little sister, knowing that they’re still out there somewhere getting away with their crime. Or you can listen to me, and you can get your revenge, and you can rest easy knowing that your sister’s been avenged. Up to you!”  
Fuyuhiko was silent for a few long moments after that, contemplating the weight of the choice that Junko had given him. When he looked up to speak again she was already walking away, making her way back down the hall towards the stairs.

  
“Hey!” he called after her. “Why are you telling me all this? What's your goal?”

  
“Things were starting to get real boring,” Junko replied, back still turned to Fuyuhiko as she continued to walk away. “This murder is the most exciting thing that’s happened all year. I just wanna keep the good times rolling.” And with that she was gone from his sight, leaving Fuyuhiko to make his choice. No, there was no choice to make. He had already made up his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Drip. Drip. Drip. Fuyuhiko stood there in silence as he listened to the sound of the blood dripping from the end of the metal bat and onto the tile floor below. The only other sound was his heavy breathing, body shaking as he came down from the adrenaline rush. It was done. Natsumi had been avenged.

“We should leave,” Peko Pekoyama commented, standing behind Fuyuhiko as she looked at the body laying on the ground in front of them. Typically this was the sort of thing she would have taken care of on his behalf, but Fuyuhiko had been insistent about wanting to do this himself. Peko could tell that it was important to him, and she could understand why. If anyone were to ever hurt her master, she wouldn’t rest until she saw them burn. Presumably Fuyuhiko felt the same way about his younger sister.

“Dammit,” Fuyuhiko muttered under his breath, before repeating the phrase several times over, gradually growing louder. “Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Why don’t I feel better??”

“I told you killing people wasn’t gonna bring her back.” The voice came from the doorway, a voice that Fuyuhiko immediately recognized. Peko didn’t, but that didn’t matter to her. What happened next was little more than a blur, but in an instant she had grabbed the bamboo sword off her back and swung it towards the source of the noise. The weapon made it halfway towards its target before clanging against a thick knife, held by a second girl who hadn’t even been there a moment  before. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Fuyuhiko shouted out, looking past the short-haired girl brandishing the knife and towards Junko, who stood half in the classroom and half in the hallway. “Did you follow us?”

“Duh-doi,” Junko replied, sticking her tongue out to the side and pressing a finger to her temple. “I told you things were getting boring around here. There’s no way I was gonna miss out on something as exciting as this! I’ve gotta give you some credit though, you really didn’t waste any time. It’s been, what, two days since I told you to kill her and you’ve already gone and done it? Kudos!”

“I didn’t do this because you told me to!” Fuyuhiko shouted back. While the two of them spoke Peko and Mukuro remained standing between them, weapons locked against each other. Neither one of them so much as moved a muscle, both waiting to see how this situation was going to play out. Both waiting to receive their orders.

“No, no, of course you didn’t,” Junko agreed. “You did this because you wanted to avenge your baby sister and teach everyone what happens when you fuck with the Kurzuyuu clan, right? Buuut, you wouldn’t have done this if I hadn’t told you to. You didn’t even bother to find out if she was really guilty! You just took my word and rain with it! I just think that’s kind of funny, that’s all.”

“If you’re about to tell me she’s not actually the one who killed Natsumi-!”

“God, will you quit it with the accusations?” Junko groaned. “I go out of my way to help you and this is the thanks I get. C’mon Mukuro, we’re leaving.” As Junko turned to walk out the door Peko attempted to lunge forward to stop her, only to find her movements once again countered by Mukuro.

“Master,” Peko spoke. “We shouldn’t let them leave after what they’ve witnessed here.”

“Tough talk for someone who can’t even fight her way past my scrub of a sister,” Junko replied. “You’d just be wasting your time by trying to stop us.”

“Hold it!” Fuyuhiko demanded. “I want answers! How do you know Sato’s the one who killed my sister? And why are you helping me?”

“This again?” Junko asked, looking back at Fuyuhiko over her shoulder. “I thought I made this clear already. Things are more interesting this way. I was getting horribly bored just sitting around waiting for something to happen on its own. But you put on one hell of a show here tonight! I’ll pay you back for it later,” she chuckled, flashing a wink in Fuyuhiko’s direction before disappearing around the corner and out of view. Mukuro stayed with her knife locked against Peko’s blade for another moment before jumping backwards, chasing after her sister out into the hall.

“Halt!” Peko shouted, beginning to chase after her before being stilled by Fuyuhiko’s command.

“Leave them,” he insisted. “They’re not gonna tell anyone.” He didn’t know what Junko’s real goal was, and he didn’t know what she wanted from him, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t as simple as setting him up for something like this. This wouldn’t be the last he saw of Junko Enoshima.


	3. Chapter 3

It had happened again. For the second time in a week, a student at Hope’s Peak Academy had ended up dead. Murdered. The official story was that there was a serial pervert on the loose, targeting high school girls. That was the narrative that the police and the school were both pushing. Mahiru Koizumi knew better.

The moment she showed up to school and saw the main building blocked off with police tape while blue lights flashed against the faces of the gathered students, her heart had dropped down into her stomach. A few minutes later her worst fears had been confirmed: Sato was dead. Somebody had killed her. It probably wasn’t that hard to guess who.

Mahiru had warned Sato not to get involved with all of this. She had told her that getting on Natsumi’s bad side was dangerous, that no good was going to come of driving up the tension between them even more. So why hadn’t Sato listened? Why did she have to go out and do something so stupid and reckless on Mahiru’s behalf when Mahiru didn’t even want her to? Why did she have to go and get herself killed?

These were the thoughts that were plaguing Mahiru’s mind as she sat on a bench near the edge of campus, fists balled up on her thighs and head hung low while tears streamed down her face. It was late, the sun already starting to set, and she had lost track of how long she had been sitting there all by herself. This was where she would normally meet up with Sato, where they would hang out and talk with each other after being apart from each other in their respective courses all day. But now… Now that was never going to happen again.

“Hey, you were that dead girl’s friend, weren’t you?” That was the voice snapped Mahiru away from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Junko Enoshima standing over her. Just like Fuyuhiko, Mahiru had never spoken to Junko before, but just like him, she was still very aware of who Junko was.

“W-What do you want?” she spat back, speaking up through her choked sobs and narrowing her eyes towards this unwanted intrusion on what was supposed to be a private moment. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, but she certainly didn’t want to have to talk about what had just happened to somebody she didn’t even know. And even if Junko was trying to comfort her or offer condolences, so far she was doing a pretty shitty job of it.

“Woah, hey. Relax,” Junko said, crossing her arms and glancing off to the side. “I wasn’t trying to get all touchy about it or anything.”

“You’re gonna have to forgive me if I don’t feel like talking about this with a total stranger,” Mahiru retorted, feeling amazed that this was even something she would have to point out. “Just leave me alone.”

“I could do that,” Junko replied. “But if I just left now you’d never get to find out who killed your friend. And what kind of ending would that be?” Those words actually seemed to catch Mahiru’s attention and spark her curiosity, and for a moment she really seemed interested in what Junko had to say. But only for a moment.

“...I already know who did it,” she said softly, breaking eye contact and looking back down as she spoke those words.

“Oh you do, huh?” Junko asked. “Well, I guess it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything. It’s actually pretty obvious. Still, it’s not like the cops are gonna do shit about it. They could have video evidence and a signed confession and they still wouldn’t go anywhere near that family.”

“Why are you saying this??” Mahiru snapped, clenching her hands into tight fists and hitting them against her legs as she spoke. She was already dealing with enough right now. The pain was already bad enough without someone she had never even spoken to before coming along and rubbing salt into the wound. Still, the sudden outburst didn’t seem to faze Junko, and she simply stood there, continuing to twirl a finger through her hair as she spoke, just like the Super High School Level Airhead that everyone seemed to expect her to be.

“I just don’t think it’s fair, y’know?” Junko replied, maintaining her composure far better than Mahiru was at the moment. “He thinks he’s better than everyone else just because his family has money and power. He thinks he can get away with anything, and the worst part is that he’s probably right. It’s awful, isn’t it? It’s almost…  _ Despair inducing. _ ” There was a certain emphasis on those last words, as if they had been chosen more deliberately than anything else that Junko had said up until this point. It was a mantra to her. It was what she lived for.

“I already know it’s not fair!” Mahiru protested. “I already know how awful it is! I don’t need you reminding me about that! Just leave me alone!” She finally stood up from the bench at this point, head hanging low once again as she rose, arms dropping limply down to her sides. If Junko wasn’t going to leave, then she would just have to. It wasn’t like there was any point in waiting around here anyway. Not anymore.

“Aw, heading off so soon?” Junko asked, letting a frown cross over her face as Mahiru stood. She sounded disappointed, as if she had been rather enjoying their conversation. At least one of them was. “What are you gonna do, go off and sulk somewhere else now? That doesn’t sound very productive.”

“What other choice do I have?” Mahiru muttered. “You said yourself, they’re not going to do anything about this. Nobody is going to do anything about this. It’s pointless.”

“Woah there, I didn’t say  _ nobody _ would,” came Junko’s reply. “Just the police, and the school. They’re gonna try to sweep this under the rug. But you’ve got a camera, right?” she asked. “Put it to good use. Stop taking pictures of flowers and sunsets and start taking pictures of something real.” Before Mahiru could even ask what she meant by that, Junko had already turned and started to walk away. The Super High School Level Photographer looked back over her shoulder as if she were going to say something else, but when she found herself looking at Junko’s back she fell silent once again. She could pretend to be confused if she wanted to, but the truth was, she wasn’t. She already knew what she needed to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Mikan Tsumiki kept her head low as she walked across the empty campus, making her way back towards the front gate. It was late, and it seemed that all of the other students had gone home long ago. She was carrying a brisk pace, an uneasy feeling making her eager to get back to her own room as soon as she possibly could. She didn’t like being left on campus this late, and if it were up to her she would have been gone a long time ago.

The reason why she had been here so late was… A strange one, to say the least. It had been at the request of her classmate, Mahiru Koizumi. When the photographer had first approached Mikan asking for her help with something she hadn’t been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t what she ended up getting. How Mahiru had come into possession of photos of a dead student Mikan wasn’t sure, but she didn’t exactly want to know either. The request that came with it was even stranger, however: Mahiru wanted Mikan to perform as much of an autopsy as she could with the pictures.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t really that much Mikan could do without being able to actually get her hands on the body, and in the end she had to let Mahiru down with the complete lack of results that she was able to garner. She wasn’t able to say anything that wasn’t already obvious, namely that the person in the photos had been killed by blunt trauma to the head. Aside from that, there wasn’t much else she could determine.

And now Mikan was left walking across campus as quickly as she could, a vague sense of failure and disappointment looming over her as she made her way back towards the front gates. She was halfway there when she noticed a figure standing just past one of the streetlights, right in the middle of the path between Mikan and her destination.

“You seem like you’re in a real hurry,” the figure said, hands on her hips as she blocked off the path that Mikan had been about to take. The sudden intrusion caused the Super High School Level Nurse to take a small, startled step backwards, still a good ten or so feet away.

“W-Wha- Who are you?” Mikan stammered out, not sure why this person was even talking to her.

“Relax,” the figure replied, stepping out of the shadows and into the glow of the streetlight, revealing the face of Junko Enoshima. “I’m not gonna mug you. If I were gonna do that I would have been smart enough to come up behind you, for starters.”

“Th-Then what do you want from me?” Mikan asked, still clearly on edge about the entire situation. She hadn’t expected to see anyone else this late at night, let alone have someone try to strike up a conversation with her. She didn’t know what was going on, but she had an uneasy feeling about it.

“I just wanna talk,” Junko replied. “That’s not so bad, is it?” Admittedly if a simple conversation was really all she had wanted, she had certainly chosen a strange way to go about it. She couldn’t blame Mikan for feeling a bit threatened at the moment. But she also knew that Mikan wasn’t the sort of person who was going to run away from an encounter like this. She was the sort of person who would just stay standing there, frozen in fear. So far it seemed that her assumptions were correct.

“T-Talk about what?” Mikan replied, subconsciously taking a half-step backwards, still feeling like she would be more comfortable the more distance she was able to put between herself and Junko.

“You’re the Super High School Level nurse, right?” Junko asked, although in reality it wasn’t much of a question. She had done her research, and she already knew that she was correct in that assumption. Mikan, on the other hand, seemed shocked to see that Junko actually knew that.

“Uh, y-yes!” she replied. “Th-That’s me.”

“Man, that’s so cool!” Junko exclaimed, an enormous grin spreading over her face when she heard that. Unlike the grins that she had been wearing earlier, however, the ones that were thin masks for the malicious intent that she really carried, this one seemed genuine. This one seemed like she was actually happy and excited.

“C-Cool?” Mikan replied, growing increasingly surprised and confused with each passing moment. She had been told that her talent was a lot of things before, but cool? That wasn’t something that she could ever remember someone saying to her.

“Yeah, cool,” Junko replied, nodding and starting to walk a little bit closer to Mikan while she spoke. “I mean that’s like, a  _ real  _ talent, y’know? Compared to some of the people around here. Seriously, look at me,” she went on, gesturing towards her own body. “Super High School Level Fashionista? What a joke. I basically just got accepted here for being hot.”

“W-Well, uh, thank you!” Mikan stammered out, face starting to turn a bit red from the compliments. She wasn’t used to having anyone speak to her this way, and frankly, she wasn’t really sure how to respond to it. This was uncharted territory for her.

“I mean it!” Junko continued. By this point she had reached Mikan, turning on her heels so that they were facing the same direction and tossing an arm around the nurse’s shoulders. She bent forward a bit as well, bringing her face to the same level as Mikan’s while she spoke. “My talent can make me rich and famous, sure, but you? You can actually help people! You can make the world a better place! That’s so cool!” Mikan was shaking by this point, although it was hard for her to even say why. Maybe she was scared, being this close to another person. Maybe she was overwhelmed by the fact that somebody was actually being nice to her for once. Maybe it was a combination of those things.

“Th-Thank you,” Mikan stuttered out again. “Nobody’s e-ever told me they think my talent is… Cool… Before.”

“Really?” Junko gasped, feigning surprise rather convincingly when she heard that. “That’s insane! You’re probably, like, the most talented person in this entire school, and that’s saying something!”

“Thank you!” Mikan cried out, burying her face in her hands in embarrassment for a moment before peeking out from behind them, looking back up towards Junko. “But… W-Why are you telling me this?”

“Huh?” Junko grunted. “I dunno. I saw you walking across campus and I figured I’d come say hi. It’s not that weird, is it?” It was an obvious lie, given that she had rather clearly been standing there in the middle of the path waiting for Mikan to show up, but it was a lie that Mikan chose not to pursue all the same.

“Anyway!” Junko sang a moment later, pulling her arm away from Mikan and standing back up straight. “It was great meeting you! I’m sure we’ll see each other around plenty from now on. Toodles!”

“W-Wait!” Mikan called out as Junko started to get further away. “Y-You never told me your name.”

“You mean you don’t know?” Junko asked, honestly surprised that there was a single teenager anywhere in Japan that hadn’t seen her face before. That was a bit of a dent to her ego. Then again, the thought that she wasn’t as famous as she had thought she was, the thought that she had overestimated her own importance, the thought that there were people out there who had never even heard of her… It was just a little taste of the despair she longed for, but it was a start.

“Junko,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at Mikan as she walked away. “Junko Enoshima. Catch ya later!” As Junko got farther and farther away, eventually slipping through the school’s gates and disappearing from sight, Mikan stood there watching her go, repeating that name over and over in her head. Junko Enoshima. The first person that had actually been nice to her the entire time she had been at Hope’s Peak.


	5. Chapter 5

“Are you even listening to me??” Those words snapped Mahiru Koizumi away from her thoughts, and she looked over to find Hiyoko Saionji staring at her, and indignant expression on the Ultimate Traditional Dancer’s face.

“Uh… No, I guess I wasn’t,” Mahiru admitted. “Sorry.”

“What’s gotten into you lately?” Hiyoko demanded. “It’s like you’re always a billion miles away. You suck to talk to now.” It was, of course, not secret to anyone why Mahiru had been acting differently as of late. Her best friend had ended up murdered. It was no surprise that she wasn’t in the highest of spirits, and everyone seemed to understand that. Everyone except Hiyoko.

“Sorry,” Mahiru said again, sighing and standing up from her desk. They were the only two that were left in the classroom at this point. Hiyoko had come up and started talking to Mahiru after the class was over, and Mahiru had just spaced out and sat there for… Almost twenty minutes, she realized as she looked towards the clock. Yikes.

“Sorry sorry sorry,” Hiyoko mocked, putting her hands on her hips as Mahiru started to walk towards the door. “That’s all you ever say anymore! Sorry for this, sorry for that, I’m getting tired of it! If you were really sorry you wouldn’t keep being so lame,” she insisted. “You used to be fun.” Hearing something like that coming from Hiyoko was… Alright, maybe it wasn’t as hurtful as it could have been. After all, Mahiru told herself, this was just the sort of person that Hiyoko was. Tact had never been her strong suit. Still, Hiyoko was also the closest friend that she had left at this point. Hearing that her friend though she was lame wasn’t the greatest confidence booster.

“I think I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Mahiru replied. That was an understatement, of course. Ever since the photos she had given to Mikan had failed to turn up any real results, Mahiru had been wandering around without direction. She had hoped that she would be able to dig up something that would pin the blame for Sato’s murder on Fuyuhiko, something damning enough that even he wouldn’t be able to make it disappear. But now that she looked at that plan realistically, she felt stupid for ever even believing that it might have worked in the first place. She should have known what a pipe dream it was.

“Is this about your friend?” Hiyoko asked, proving that at the very least she was slightly less socially oblivious than everyone else seemed to think she was. Not that that really said much. “That was like, a week ago!” she went on. “I would’ve thought you would be over it by now.”

“My best friend _died_ , Hiyoko,” Mahiru replied, doing her best to bite back the frustration that she was starting to feel by this point. “That’s not the sort of thing that I’m just going to get over in a few days.”

“Well sitting around sulking isn’t going to get you anywhere either!” Hiyoko replied. “Feeling bad for yourself isn’t gonna bring her back.”

“I know that,” Mahiru replied. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what would. “Can I tell you something?” she asked a moment later, turning to face her friend once again. “It’s a big secret, and you have to keep it that way. Can you do that?”

“Of course!” Hiyoko replied, face practically lighting up at the question. And, more importantly, at the thought that somebody would trust her with something like that. “I’m great at keeping secrets!”

“Alright,” Mahiru replied, sighing and closing her eyes. She didn’t really know why she was doing this so out of the blue, but she felt the need to get this off of her chest. She didn’t want to be the only one carrying this knowledge around anymore. Besides, Hiyoko was her best friend now. She might as well start acting like it. “I know who killed Sato.”

The moment Hiyoko heard that her eyes went wide, face going into an expression of complete shock. “What??” she blurted out. “Why haven’t you told anyone?? You should have called the police the moment you figured it out!”

“I can’t do that,” Mahiru replied, figuring this was the sort of reaction she would get. “It wasn’t just some random pervert like they’re telling everyone. It… It was one of our classmates. It was Fuyuhiko.”

“That angry crybaby in an oversized three piece suit??” Hiyoko said, clenching her small hands into tight fists and starting to wave them around wildly as she spoke. “Of course he would do something terrible like this! You can’t let him get away with it!”

“Well what else am I supposed to do??” Mahiru finally snapped, her patience with Hiyoko starting to wear thin. Honestly, she knew that this wasn’t Hiyoko’s fault. She knew that the reaction was a perfectly normal and understandable one. Still, she had already gone through this entire train of thought herself, and she didn’t want to have to explain it to someone else. “You know how powerful his family is,” Mahiru insisted. “Even if I told anybody about this, they wouldn’t believe me.”

“So you’re just gonna give up??” Hiyoko asked. “You’re just gonna let him get away with this because nobody else will do anything about it?”

“What else am I supposed to do??” Mahiru shouted, gradually growing more and more frustrated with this entire conversation.

“If nobody else will help then you get back at him yourself!” The response had Mahiru falling silent rather suddenly, wondering if she was properly understanding what her friend was suggesting. “He’s barely any taller than I am, and probably only half as strong! He thinks he’s soooo tough because his family has money and a bunch of scary looking yakuza guys, but what’s he gonna do if it’s just you and him? I’ll bet he can’t even tie his own shoes without his daddy’s men doing it for him!”

“What are you trying to say…?” Mahiru asked, an uncharacteristic sheepishness seeping into her voice. She always knew that Hiyoko had a dark, irreverent, borderline insensitive sense of humor. But at the moment, it didn’t seem like she was joking.

“I meaaaan,” Hiyoko replied, “give him a taste of his own medicine! Bash his skull in!”

“That’s terrible!” Mahiru protested, caught off guard by how blunt Hiyoko was being about such a morbid suggestion.

“Well of course it’s terrible! But he did it first, so he deserves it!” Hiyoko pointed out. “What’s worse? Getting even with him? Or letting a murderer wander around the school until he decides to do it again? I don’t wanna come to class every day knowing I’m sitting two seats over from a killer! He did something bad and now he’s gotta pay for it!” Even as she stood there horrified by the very suggestion, Mahiru had to admit… Hiyoko made a compelling argument. Still, Mahiru wasn’t a killer. She was the sort of person who would barely even hurt a fly, and the thought of attacking another one of her classmates like that, even if they did deserve it…

“You can’t tell anyone we had this conversation,” Mahiru said a moment later, feeling like changing the subject and ending this line of questioning was probably the best thing she could do at the moment. “Remember that. You have to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Hiyoko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning again at that. “You already told me.” She wasn’t really happy that the conversation was just being shut down like this, but she knew how stubborn Mahiru could be when she wanted to. “I wont tell anyone."

“Good,” Mahiru replied, turning to look towards the door once more. “Now… I think we should probably get out of here.” Out of here, and away from this conversation. Still, the thought was there in her mind at this point. Whether she wanted it to be or not, the thought that there were actually actions she could take against Fuyuhiko was lingering in the back of her mind now. The seed had been planted. And for once, Junko hadn’t even needed to do the dirty work. Sometimes things just had a way of taking care of themselves.


	6. Chapter 6

Mahiru Koizumi staggered backwards and leaned against the wall behind her, gasping for air in ragged, shallow breaths. She put a hand to the throbbing spot in the middle of her forehead, only to look down at it and see that her palm was stained crimson. Between the force of the blow and the blood she was losing, the entire hallway stretching out in front of her was already beginning to shake and swirl.

In front of Mahiru stood Peko Pekoyama, bamboo sword clutched in her hands and stained with blood. And behind her, of course, stood Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, watching the scene unfolding in front of him with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Don’t overdo it,” he commented. “We don’t need a second corpse on our hands.”

“She knows,” Peko replied, keeping her eyes locked on Mahiru as she spoke. “That makes three witnesses. Surely it would be safer to remove some of them.”

“Who fucking cares if she knows?” Fuyuhiko scoffed. “What’s she gonna do? Rat on us? Nobody’s gonna believe her.” As much as it pained Mahiru to admit it, she knew that Fuyuhiko was right about that. That was the reason she had been driven to follow Hiyoko’s suggestion in the first place. She knew that the school wouldn’t listen to her. She knew that the police wouldn’t listen to her. If she wanted to get revenge, there was only one way to do it: with her own two hands.

Mahiru was hardly a fighter, but Fuyuhiko didn’t really seem like the tough type either. Sure, he talked a big talk, and he had the might of his family to back him up, but in a fair fight? If she could get him alone? He was nothing more than a spoiled brat with god complex. The flaw in that logic, of course, was thinking that she would actually be able to get him alone in the first place.

Mahiru had barely even been aware of what was happening, it had all gone so fast. She had lured Fuyuhiko here with the photos from Sato’s autopsy, tucked into an envelope alongside a cryptic, unsigned note, claiming that she knew what Fuyuhiko had done. She told him to meet her at the school long after everyone else would be gone. And then, once her trap had been set, she had waited.

The moment Fuyuhiko arrived Mahiru had charged at him with a baseball bat in hand, ready to do to Fuyuhiko what he had done to her best friend. And that was where Peko had come in. Mahiru could have sworn that it was just the two of them in the hallway up until that point, and she still wasn’t sure where Peko had come from so suddenly. It wasn’t like it mattered though- Mahiru’s talent was photography, and Peko’s was swordfighting. In a situation like this, she had never stood a chance.

So now she was standing there, slumped against the wall, wondering if this was how she was going to die. Fuyuhiko’s words gave her a little bit of hope, although she had to admit that if she did survive this encounter, those weren’t really the circumstances under which she wanted to do so.

“You’re not gonna get away with this…” she muttered, finally losing her grip on the aluminum baseball bat and letting it drop down to the floor with a loud clang. Provoking him further was probably the worst thing she could do for herself at the moment, but she didn’t care. “Sooner or later you’re gonna have to own up to what you did,” she insisted. “Sooner or later somebody else will find out.”

“I didn’t think I would have to tell my own classmate who she was dealing with,” Fuyuhiko spat back. “But I guess if this was your master plan you’re not very smart, are you? The Kuzuryuu clan is untouchable. I don’t need to be afraid of a bitch like you.”

“You’ll pay for what you did,” Mahiru growled back, doing her best to look defiant even as the edges of her vision started to go dark. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to finish her?” Peko asked, still not seeing the benefit of keeping Mahiru alive.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Fuyuhiko insisted. It took an incredible amount of restraint on his part not to kill Mahiru for what she had just tried to do, but he knew he had to think about this from a rational perspective. The more blood that ended up on his hands, the harder it was going to be to continue denying his involvement. Honestly, Mahiru’s corpse seemed like it would be more damning evidence than anything Mahiru would be able to say or do while she was still alive.

“C’mon,” he said a moment later, turning and starting to walk back down the hall. “There’s nothing left to do here. Just leave her.” Peko took one more look at Mahiru as the girl’s legs gave out and she slumped down to the floor. With a small nod she turned to follow her master, tucking her practice sword back into the case she carried on her back. Mahiru watched them as they walked away, her vision gradually growing darker and more blurred until her injuries finally lulled her into an unconsciousness that she wasn’t sure she would wake up from.


	7. Chapter 7

Throbbing pain. That was the first thing that Mahiru noticed as she began to come back around. There was a splitting agony spreading out from the center of her skull, making it hard to focus on anything in particular. Even as she did open her eyes and try to get a sense of her surroundings, though, she found herself staring up into a painfully bright light. She squinted against it, trying to look past it and figure out where she was.

She was in someone’s room, from what she could tell, although she didn’t know whose it was. It probably wouldn’t be that hard to find an answer, though, given that there were two people standing there over her, both of whom she recognized. The first was her classmate, Mikan Tsumiki, who seemed to be staring down at Mahiru with a worried expression on her face. The other figure, who was standing a bit farther back, was the girl that Mahiru had met the day Sato died: Junko Enoshima.

“Y-You’re awake!” Mikan blurted out as Mahiru started to move, placing her hands on the photographer’s shoulders and pushing her back down gently. “You shouldn’t try to sit up yet! You’re badly hurt!”

“You’re lucky to even be alive right now,” Junko commented from behind Mikan, her tone of voice seeming far less concerned about the entire situation than Mikan seemed to be. “We thought you were a goner for a while there.”

“How did you find me…?” Mahiru groaned out, letting herself get pushed back down onto the bed. She was still in a lot of pain, and frankly, she didn’t even really want to try to sit up that badly at the moment. Still, there were a lot of things about this situation that didn’t make sense to her. For starters, when she had slipped into unconsciousness in the school building, she had been relatively sure that she was going to die there. How she had ended up here- as well as where “here” actually was- was something that she wasn’t sure about. She also didn’t realize that Mikan and Junko knew each other, and she didn’t know why they were together right now.

“Junko’s the one who found you…” Mikan explained. “She d-dragged you here to my room and told me you were badly hurt.”

“It’s fortunate that I came across you in the first place,” Junko added on. “I dunno how much longer you would have lasted if I hadn’t.” Once again, claiming that she had simply stumbled across Mahiru by pure coincidence was a boldfaced lie. But once again, it was a lie that nobody was going to call her out on. Whatever had happened, it had worked in Mahiru’s favor, and she wasn’t going to question it.

“I had to give you stitches to close up the wound in your head,” Mikan went on, looking down towards Mahiru again. “And you’re probably severely concussed right now. I gave you some painkillers, b-but, they’ll be wearing off soon enough.”

“Thank you…” Mahiru said quietly. Honestly, she was glad that Junko hadn’t taken to her the official school nurse, or the hospital, or anything else like that. In any of those situations she would have had to explain herself, and explain how she ended like this in the first place, and she wasn't convinced that she would be able to come up with a good enough lie. Of course, she should have known that Mikan would end up asking that same question soon enough anyway.

“Um, if you don’t mind t-telling me…” Mikan began, already having a sense that she was getting herself involved in something she didn’t want to know the answer to, “what h-happened to you anyway? How did you end up l-like this?”

“...I got in a fight,” Mahiru ended up replying. It was technically true, and it avoided having to get into any of the nastier details. Mikan didn’t seem like the sort of person who would press it further anyway.

“A fight that you probably shouldn’t have been picking,” Junko added on, stating what was obvious to everyone in the room at the moment. “I mean, seriously. Going after someone like  _ him  _ all by yourself? It’s like you have a death wish or something.”

“Well what else was I supposed to do??” Mahiru snapped, before wincing at the sound of her own voice and lowering her volume back down to a reasonable level. “You said it yourself,” she insisted, mind flashing back to the conversation she had had with Junko in the courtyard that night. “Nobody else was gonna do it for me.”

“I said you should do some investigative journalism,” Junko replied. “Not go charging after the crown prince of douchelandia with a baseball bat like some kind of crazed vigilante. Did you really think you were gonna accomplish anything this way?” Mahiru fell silent at that, knowing that Junko had a point. Now that she had the benefit of hindsight, she knew that her entire plan had been flawed from the start. She had let Hiyoko talk her into something stupid, and she had let emotion get a hold of her. And now she was paying the price for it. Junko, however, wasn’t done talking.

“Y’know, if you really wanted to get back at him so badly you could’ve just asked me for help.” That drew a frown from Mahiru, not really sure what Junko was implying. And, more to the point, not sure why Junko hadn’t brought it up earlier.

“Why would you bother helping me?” Mahiru asked. “This doesn’t involve you at all.”

“I go to this school too, don’t I?” Junko asked. “Everything that happens around here concerns me. Especially something as serious as-” She looked around that point, as if she were worried that someone would overhear them, before dropping her voice down to a whisper. “ _ Murder _ .”

“M-Murder??” Mikan blurted out, looking towards Junko with a panicked expression. She wasn’t entirely out of the loop, and she, like every other student, knew that two murders had taken place at Hope’s Peak recently. What she didn’t know was that Mahiru and her injuries were in any way connected to these murders.

“That’s right, murder!” Junko replied. “Surely you’ve heard about it, right? Those two girls from the reserve course who both got offed? And little Mahiru Koizumi over there was trying to rack that body count up there even higher!”

“N-No!” Mikan insisted, looking back towards Mahiru with what was almost a pleading expression on her face, as if she were begging what she was saying to be true. “Sh-She wouldn’t do something like that! Right?” Unfortunately, that question was met with nothing more than a damning silence on Mahiru’s part.

“Go ahead, tell her!” Junko urged. “Tell her about how one of your classmates killed your best friend, and about how you were trying to turn the tables on him! An eye for an eye and all that, right?”

“O-One of our classmates?” Mikan asked, fearful tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she started to work herself into even more of a panic. “One of our classmates is a m-murderer?”

“That’s right!” Junko cackled, before pointing at Mahiru. “Almost two of them! But fortunately for her conscience, Ansel Stabems over there botched the job, and baby Kuzuryuu got away in one piece.”

“T-Tell me this isn’t true…” Mikan pleaded, looking towards Mahiru one more desperate time. “I-It can’t be.” But once again, that was something that Mahiru couldn’t do. A few seconds of silence passed, until she finally spoke up.

“He killed my best friend. I didn’t have a choice.”

“That’s sure an easy way to sell it to yourself, huh?” Junko laughed. “‘I didn’t have a choice. I had to do it!’” she mocked. “Anyway! I’ve got some other stuff I need to go take care of,” she added on, clapping a hand onto Mikan’s back. “Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get any worse, alright? I’ll be back later.”

“W-What?” Mikan stammered, turning her attention back towards Junko. “Y-You want me to keep looking after her? But s-she…” Mahiru was her classmate, and normally Mikan wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. But after everything she had just learned...

“Well of course!” Junko replied. “I mean, I’d do it myself, but I’m just the Ultimate Fashionista. I don’t think I’d be very good at saving someone’s life. I’m not as talented as you are.” She flashed a wink at Mikan as she said that, before walking towards the door. “Catch ya later!” Mikan looked like she was about to protest again, but as she opened her mouth, she found that she had nothing to say. She simply stood there as Junko slipped out into the hall, leaving her alone with Mahiru, and with all of the secrets that she had just learned.


	8. Chapter 8

Hiyoko was starting to get worried. Mahiru hadn’t been showing up to class recently- which was really saying something, since Mahiru was one of the few people who actually attended even before Ms. Yukizome started hounding them all to show up more often. But lately, she had been inexplicably absent, and Hiyoko hadn’t heard from her. In fact, the last time Hiyoko had seen Mahiru was when she had encouraged her to go after Fuyuhiko. Suddenly, it seemed like that might have been a mistake.

She kept telling herself that she didn’t have anything to worry about. After all, Mahiru was smart! She wasn’t the sort of person who was going to do something stupid and reckless, even if Hiyoko had told her to. Mahiru certainly hadn’t seemed like she had any grand plans like that when she had left the classroom. But despite all that, Hiyoko couldn’t help but be worried.

After class was over- another class that Mahiru had been suspiciously absent from- Hiyoko filed out of the room along with the handful of other students that had actually been there, dragging her feet and looking down towards the floor as she went along. She was bummed out, not just because she was worried, but because she didn’t have anyone to talk to when Mahiru wasn’t there.

“Hey, what’s got you looking so down in the dumps?” The voice came as a surprise to Hiyoko, and it had her jumping a little bit as she looked up, finding herself face to face with Junko Enoshima. Not that she actually knew who that was, nor did she really care. Hiyoko was probably one of the few people at Hope’s Peak academy who wouldn’t recognize Junko simply by looking at her, because that was never the sort of thing that had been interesting to her. She didn’t get the point of fashion and supermodels. It all seemed stupid to her.

“None of your business,” Hiyoko replied, puffing her cheeks up and crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t know why a stranger was daring to talk to her, and she didn’t like it.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me,” Junko replied, bending over a bit to bring herself closer to Hiyoko’s (extremely low) level. “I already know what’s up. You’re worried about your little friend, aren’t you?” That blunt statement earned a shocked reaction from Hiyoko, eyes going wide for just a moment before narrowing again as a scowl crossed over her face.

“How do you know anything about that??” she demanded. Did this girl know Mahiru? Did she possibly have an idea of what had happened to her? Why she hadn’t been in class?

“That’s easy.” Junko chuckled. “She told me all about you.” Once again, Hiyoko seemed shocked, and it was hard to maintain her irritated composure when everything that Junko was saying to her was information that she desperately wanted to know more about.

“You’ve seen her??” Hiyoko asked frantically. “Do you know where she is?? Is she okay??”

“Well, I dunno. I wouldn’t quite say ‘okay.’ She was beat up pretty badly,” Junko explained. “It was pretty touch and go for a while, we weren’t even sure if she was gonna make it. But she’s getting better now.”

“What are you talking about??” Hiyoko demanded, producing a surprising amount of volume for a girl of her size. “What happened to her??”

“So you really don’t know anything, huh? Man, this is gonna take a lot of explaining,” she groaned. Of course things could never just be simple for her. Master plans like this one always had to be so complicated, and they always involved so many steps. Honestly, half of the time Junko was tempted to just give up. She almost had to wonder whether all of this would even be worth the effort in the end. But if it wasn’t, if her entire scheme turned out to be for nothing, turned out to be a complete failure… Well, that would be a special kind of despair all of its own.

“Alright, listen up,” Junko began. “I kind of assumed she would have told you about some of this before she went off and did it, but I guess not. Maybe she thought you couldn’t be trusted or something, I dunno. It’s not my job to get inside her head.”

“Shut up and get to the point!” Hiyoko snapped. She felt like Junko was deliberately drawing this out, taking way longer than she needed to with her explanation, and she didn't care for it at all.

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Junko huffed, rolling her eyes. Jeez, this girl was a brat. “She ended up taking your advice. Y’know, when you told her to go after the Al Capone Junior for what he did to her friend? Koizumi decided that sounded like a great idea, so she tried to jump him with a baseball bat. Of course, I  _ told  _ her that she’s not a killer, and she should have listened to me. She ended up getting the shit kicked out of her reaaaal bad.”

The moment Hiyoko heard those words, it felt like her worst fears were being confirmed. Knowing that Mahiru had gotten hurt, and knowing that she was the one that had been responsible for putting that stupid idea into her friend’s head in the first place… The only saving grace was the fact that, from what it sounded like, Mahiru hadn’t ended up dead like the past two girls had. Still, Junko made it sound like it had come close. Far closer than Hiyoko was comfortable with.

“W-Where is she now?” Hiyoko asked. Almost immediately, all of the anger and frustration had faded away from her, from her expression and her voice. Now it seemed like she was overwhelmed with sadness, fighting back tears as she spoke.

“She’s resting up,” Junko explained. “Tsumiki and I have been looking after her until she gets better. We didn’t wanna take her to the hospital for obvious reasons, but it’s fine. Mikan’s probably doing a better job than any of the quacks over there could anyway.”

“Can I see her?” Hiyoko asked, looking up towards Junko hopefully as she posed the question. She had been worried sick about her friend, and while it was good to know that Mahiru was at least alive, Hiyoko actually wanted to be able to talk to her directly, instead of hearing about all of this from a girl that she didn’t even know. The response that she ended up getting wasn’t the one she had been hoping for though, and almost immediately Junko’s expression faltered. The girl dropped her gaze down towards the floor, crossing her arms over her chest and looking off to the side.

“Yikes. This is awkward,” Junko muttered. “She uh, she told me to find you and tell you what had happened to her, but… She also said she didn’t want to see you. Not yet.” When Hiyoko heard that she was crushed for the second time in the same conversation. The tears that she had been holding back until this point finally started to show through, welling up in the corners of her eyes as she stood there staring back at Junko.

“She said that?” Hiyoko asked, voice noticeably quieter than it had been, probably in her entire life.

“Yeah. I dunno. I didn’t ask why,” Junko murmured. “She just said that she didn’t want to. Sorry. But uh, don’t shoot the messenger, yeah? Speaking of which, I should probably go check on her again. It’s been a little while.” Junko turned around at that point, unable to keep an enormous grin from stretching over her face the moment she had her back to Hiyoko. “I’ll catch ya later,” she said, starting to walk down the hall.

“Wait!” Hiyoko cried out after her. “Just… Tell Mahiru I’m sorry, okay?”

“Alright, I will,” Junko replied. “But I dunno if she’s gonna want to hear it.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Uuugh, this is so  _ slow _ !” Junko groaned, tossing her head backwards, and very nearly causing her chair to tip over in the process. She was in her room, feet up on her desk, computer idling away beside her while Mukuro stood by the door.

“Is slow a problem?” Mukuro asked, her voice as soft as it always was, especially when it came to speaking with her sister.

“Of course it’s a problem! Slow is boring! Slow is a pain in the ass! I don’t want to have to wait around while I do all this dull groundwork! I want things  _ now _ ! Thrills, chills, kills! The whole lot of it!”

“But you said-” Mukuro started off, before immediately being interrupted by Junko. Nothing new there.

“Forget what I said! What I’m saying now is that we have to find a way to spice things up!” With that she pulled her feet from her desk, swinging her chair in a dramatic pivot to face Mukuro. She stuck her arm out, pointing a finger towards the other girl. “Give me an idea! Right now!”

“A-An idea?” Mukuro stammered out, not expecting to be put on the spot like that. “Well-”

“Too slow!” Junko interrupted again. “That’s the problem with everything! It’s always too slow! People talk about patience like it’s supposed to be good somehow, but things are only exciting when they’re fast!”

“Does this mean you’re giving up on the plan?” Mukuro asked.

“What??” Junko blurted out, recoiling at the very suggestion of such a thing. “Give up a plan that I’ve worked this hard on? Don’t be an idiot! The only thing worse than a slow buildup is a slow buildup with no payoff! Buuuut…” she admitted, “we could use something else to keep ourselves busy in the meantime.”

"Something like what?" Mukuro asked, almost afraid of the answer she was going to get. But of course, Mukuro would go through hell and back for her sister. Whatever Junko had planned, Mukuro would go along with it without a single moment of hesitation.

“Something like this!” Junko replied, spinning around once again and smashing a button on her keyboard. Had this all been planned, Mukuro wondered? Had everything Junko had just said, about boredom and excitement, all just been a show for the hell of it? It certainly seemed like something Junko would do.

“Voila!” Junko said as the screen came to life, showing a rather text heavy document. It didn’t look particularly interesting or exciting, but Mukuro had a feeling that the interesting part was what the document actually said. As Junko sat there with an incredibly proud grin on her face Mukuro approached, leaning down to get a better look at the screen. The first thing she noticed were the large, bold letters printed at the top of the document:

  
**THE KAMUKURA PROJECT**


	10. Chapter 10

Hajime Hinata sat on his bed, staring down at the thick stack of papers he held in his hands. It had been sitting inside of his room when he got back from his classes- not outside his door, but actually  _ inside  _ his room, which he didn’t understand, since it was clearly far too thick to fit underneath his door.

Most of the pages looked like they had been printed, but there was handwritten note attached to the top of it. It looked like a girl’s handwriting, scribbled down in a pink glitter pen. “In case you decide you want to stop being a nobody! ♡”

Underneath the note was a thick stack of official looking documentation, each page bearing the Hope’s Peak logo in the upper corner, along with the title of whatever document the pages were from: “ _The Kamakura Project_.”

Hajime had recognized the name as soon as he had seen it. Izuru Kamukura had been the founder of Hope’s Peak, back when the school had still been new, and an experimental endeavor. What Hajime didn’t know, however, was why there was a project named after him, or what this project actually was. It certainly wasn’t something that he had ever heard of before, and while there were some things that he expected to miss out on from being in the reserve course, the more he read about this project, the more he became convinced that this wasn’t common knowledge to  _ any  _ of the students at Hope’s Peak, even those in the main course.

The things being described in this document were… Unreal. That was the only way he could think to describe them. It seemed to be a proposal of sorts, suggesting an experiment to create the perfect student, a student with the combined abilities of every Ultimate at Hope’s Peak. It was no secret that Hope’s Peak existed to study talent, and that the school aimed to learn as much from the students as the students would learn from the school. But to take the talents of other students and put them into someone who had previously possessed none of those talents… Was that really possible? Could that really be done? Hajime doubted it.

Still, what bothered him possibly even more than the entire idea of the Kamukura Project was the note that this documentation had come with.  _ In case you decide you want to stop being a nobody _ .... He read those words over and over again, trying to think of who might have written them, and why. It wouldn’t have been hard for anyone to guess that a reserve course student might feel this way, that they might be worried about their inherent inferiority compared to the students in the main course. But that still didn’t answer why whoever had delivered all of this chose  _ him  _ particularly. Was he special somehow? Or had he just been a name drawn out of a hat?

And, of course, who would even be in a position to do something like in the first place? The documents made it apparent, at various points, that this wasn’t the sort of information that was supposed to be handed out to the students freely, which meant whoever had printed this document out had been someone with access to some of the school’s deepest secrets. And yet the delivery method… It wasn’t professional at all. If the school had been interested in signing Hajime up for the Kamukura Project, they could have just approached him directly. There was no reason to sneak the documents into his room like this, with a rather immature note tacked on to boot.

But even with all of that in mind… He still couldn’t just write this off as a coincidence, or as a prank. Far too much work had gone into this for it to just be another student trying to play a trick on him. Whoever was doing this had a motive, and that was part of what had Hajime most concerned of all. He didn’t know what that motive was, what somebody could be planning or why they would want him of all people to be involved, but this certainly wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Having all the talents of every Ultimate who had ever attended Hope’s Peak… Setting the thick stack of papers aside and lying back on his bed, Hajime took a moment to consider that, to think about what it would be like. Suddenly being a master of just about anything he could imagine, from cooking to swordfighting to medicine, it was hard to think that something like that could even be possible in the first place. To possess all that talent, then nobody would be able to deny that he was something special, something extraordinary.

But would it be satisfying? To know that he had already mastered so many things, and to know that he hadn’t worked to achieve any of them? Would he really be able to sit back and feel proud of himself when these talents were artificially created? And what would he do with them? Practically, he would probably be able to do just about anything that he wanted, get any job that he wanted, pursue any career that he wanted. But realistically? How would he even begin to narrow it down to just one thing when he was suddenly good at everything? The mere thought of it was overwhelming.

Of course, he reminded himself, that was provided that this crazy program was even possible in the first place. He had no doubt that the documents really had come from Hope’s Peak, but the simple fact that the school proposed it didn’t mean that it was actually an attainable goal. The documents themselves had even described the procedure as “experimental” and “unlikely to succeed.” And if the geniuses at Hope’s Peak didn’t have much faith in something, Hajime had to assume that they had good reasons.

Besides, he added on in his head, even if the procedure were real and it were a possibility, he would never sign himself up for something like that. There had been a lengthy section in the documents about possible side effects if the treatment were to fail, some of them as extreme as complete loss of cognitive functions. There was no way that Hajime would take a risk like that, right? ...Right?


	11. Chapter 11

“Why the hell did you save her?” Once again, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu and Junko Enoshima found themselves meeting in a hallway of the school late at night, long after everyone was gone. Just the two of them, and their respective bodyguards standing by their backs. Peko and Mukuro, though, may as well not have been there. Unless things turned violent, neither of them had a role in this meeting.

“What was I supposed to do, leave poor little Koizumi there to bleed out and die?” Junko asked, rolling her eyes at the question. “I was just doing what any decent person would do. So sue me.”

“Whose side are you on anyway??” Fuyuhiko hissed. “You were the one that told me to go after her friend! You were the one that told me that reserve course bitch killed my sister in the first place! And now you’re stabbing me in the back like this??”

“Woah woah woah,” Junko replied, lifting her hands up and holding them out in front of her as if she were trying to keep Fuyuhiko at bay. “Someone killed your sister and I helped you get revenge on them. After that I washed my hands of this whole business. I had nothing to do with any of this past that point.”

“So you’re expecting me to believe you didn’t have anything to do with Mahiru attacking me?” Fuyuhiko asked, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.

“Yup! That’s the best part!” Junko was cackling at this point, clearly delighted in what she had to say. “I didn’t have to lift a single finger to make that happen. Mahiru got that idea all on her own! I gotta admit, I didn’t think the runt had it in her, but she sure proved me wrong!”

“That still doesn’t explain why you saved her!” Fuyuhiko insisted. “If you really didn’t want anything to do with this you would have left her there!”

“And if you really wanted her dead that badly you would have made sure she had already stopped breathing before you left.” Junko deadpanned as she said that, and the words earned at least a few moments of silence before Fuyuhiko tried to stammer out a reply.

“L-Listen! Just because I didn’t-”

“Shut up.” Junko cut him off before he was able to say anything else, and it was clear from both her expression and her tone of voice that she was done messing around and playing games by this point. Whatever she had to say next, it was something serious.

“I know what you were thinking,” Junko went on. “I already have you all figured out. The whole ‘short fused badass with a subterranean lake of insecurities’ trope really isn’t that hard to pick up on, you know.” Once again Fuyuhiko opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but Junko just kept talking over him. “I can already see how it all went down. You said it yourself, avenging your sister by killing her killer didn’t make you feel any better. It didn’t bring her back. It didn’t fill the hole she left behind when she died. So ever since then you've been searching, trying to find a way to actually deal with the grief you're experiencing. And when Koizumi decided to attack you, that was the perfect chance, wasn’t it? That’s what you thought, anyway. You thought that maybe another opportunity to lash out, to get back at someone who was involved with your sister, you thought that might finally make the hurting stop. But it didn’t. And that’s why you didn’t finish the job. Because you already knew there was no point to it.”

Once again, after Junko finished speaking, there were several moments of long, tense silence. Junko took that to be a good thing, a sign that she had hit the nail right on the head. The fact that Fuyuhiko wasn’t ready with a snarky comeback or an angry outburst like he normally would have been seemed to be proof enough of that.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Fuyuhiko finally demanded, speaking through gritted teeth. He still seemed angry, but it was a different kind of angry. Not the sort of anger that expressed itself through shouting and profanity, at the very least. “Why does it matter.”

“I told you I was gonna repay you sooner or later, didn’t I?” Junko asked. “Well now this is my chance. I can help you,” she promised, leaning forward and placing a hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder. Peko’s hand immediately flew up to the hilt of her sword in response, but when she saw that Junko didn’t seem to have any violent intentions she stilled herself, simply standing and watching, at least for another few moments.

“I don’t need your help…” Fuyuhiko grumbled, although he didn’t sound nearly as sure of himself as he normally would.

“Hey, if that’s what you think then I can’t change your mind,” Junko said, shrugging her shoulders. “But I’ve dealt with plenty of despair in my own life. I know how to get through it. And not in any of those bullshit ‘stay positive and appreciate the things you have’ sort of ways that therapists try to sell you on either. I’m talking  _ real _ methods. Methods that get results. So are you in? Or are you gonna be scared of lil’ old me?”

“...Fine,” Fuyuhiko replied at great length, staring straight back into Junko’s eyes as he said it. “Show me what you’ve got.”


	12. Chapter 12

“C’mon! Is that all you’ve got?? You’re not getting tired already are you??” Nekomaru Nidai’s voice was loud enough that it could pretty much be heard from anywhere on campus, shaking windows and scaring birds out of trees.

“Hell nah!” Akane Owari replied, the volume of her own voice actually giving Nekomaru a run for his money. A moment later her leg came sweeping down, foot crashing into a large rock that was sitting in the middle of the courtyard. By all accounts it should have shattered her ankle, and yet it was the rock that cracked a little bit underneath the blow. Still, it didn’t seem to tire Akane out a bit, and she stepped to the side afterwards, hunching over and gasping for breath. “Alright,” she admitted, “maybe I’m a lil’ tired.”

“Well you’ve been working hard!” Nekomaru replied, walking over and giving Akane a hard pat on the back (that was really more of a forceful slap). “Nothing wrong with being a little exhausted after a hard day’s work! Tell you what, let’s take a break and get some food in you! You’ve earned it!”

“Really??” Akane asked, eyes lighting up and mouth watering at the mere mention of food. It didn’t even matter what kind it was, she would gladly shovel it all into her mouth until there was nothing left.

“Really!” Nekomaru replied. “All you can eat, I’m buying!”

“Thanks coach!” Akane said, jumping up and already seeming completely reenergized by the simple thought of getting something to eat. “You’re the best!”

“A good team manager doesn’t let his team members go hungry!” Nekomaru insisted. “And there’s no point in doing anymore training on an empty stomach! Now let’s go!”

* * *

 

Soon enough the two of them were sitting across from each other at a small noodle shop just a few blocks from Hope’s Peak’s campus, and Akane had already finished off her first bowl while Nekomaru watched.

“Easy there!” he said, letting out a hearty laugh. “I’m not made of money!”

“You said all you can eat though!” Akane reminded him. “I’m holdin’ you to that!”

“I guess I did,” Nekomaru admitted. “I can already tell you’re gonna make me regret that! Don’t eat too much though! You’re gonna have a hard time at Nationals if you gain too much weight!” That was the reason that Akane had been training so hard recently: Nationals were coming up soon, and she was determined to win. Not only was the recognition of being declared the greatest gymnast in all of Japan something that she wanted, there was a sizeable cash prize that came along with the title as well. That was all money that Akane could send to her brothers and sisters back home. That was the entire reason she had gotten involved with gymnastics in the first place, and it was one of the only things putting food on the table for the rest of her family.

“C’mon, you’ve seen me before coach!” Akane huffed, gesturing towards her own body as she spoke. “I can eat whatever I want and not get fat, just so long as I work hard enough to burn it all off!”

“That still doesn’t mean you should tempt fate like that!” Nekomaru laughed. “You already had a full serving of noodles! That would be plenty for a normal person!”

“But coaaaach,” Akane whined, slouching down in her seat. “I’m still hungry!”

“Fine, fine. One more bowl,” Nekomaru conceded. “Then I’m cutting you off. For your own good!”

“Thanks coach!” Akane said, perking back up as she started to flag the waiter over. “You’re the best!”


	13. Chapter 13

It was late, and Akane was exhausted. The fact that she had actually been training this late without Nekomaru there to drag her into it was impressive, but with Nationals approaching, she had good motivation to actually get down to work and get some real practice in. Losing wasn’t an option for her, and just because she was already the best gymnast in the country didn’t mean that she could rest on her laurels.

So that’s why she was leaving the gym at Hope’s Peak when it was already close to midnight, walking across campus with a sports bag over her shoulder, dirty workout clothes hanging out of it. Her hair was still wet from the shower that she had taken before leaving, and with how chilly the night air was, she was sort of regretting that now. Maybe it would have been better just to shower when she got back to her dorm.

Akane was a bit caught up in her own thoughts as she walked along, and that was probably part of the reason that she didn’t notice that she wasn’t alone for the longest time. It was only when she heard footsteps running up behind her that she finally noticed the presence of another person.

Akane turned around just in time to see someone charging towards her. It was impossible to say who, given that all she could really make out was a vaguely feminine figure. The person was wearing all black, from head to toe, nearly every inch of skin covered in some sort of combat outfit. Of course, with them charging right at her, Akane didn’t really have that much time to analyze it.

“Hey what gives??” Akane cried out, jumping back just in time to avoid a punch that the mysterious figure threw at her, dropping her bag to the ground in the process. Fortunately, while Akane might have technically been a gymnast, she had spent a lot of time fighting and sparring with Nekomaru. She had never actually managed to beat him, admittedly, but that was because the man was an absolute monster. Hopefully what she had learned would at least be enough to fend off this mystery attacker.

As Akane jumped backwards she took a defensive stance, spreading her feet wide apart and putting her arms in front of her body to get ready to protect herself. It didn’t seem like this attacker was in the mood to talk, but that wasn’t going to stop her from at least trying.

“What the hell do you want with me?” Akane shouted, watching as the figure rushed in for another attack. This time they went for a grapple, and while Akane was able to mostly dodge out of the way, the attacker ended up with a handful of her hair. Akane gritted her teeth at that point, driving her elbow into the girl’s arm, which loosened her grip enough for Akane to get free. Akane stumbled forward a few more feet at that point, pivoting on her heel to stay facing her opponent.

“Are you some kinda mugger or something? I don’t got any money on me so if that’s the case you can screw right off!” But still, the attacker didn’t seem like she was going to let up. Akane’s face scrunched up as the mysterious person started to run towards her again, beginning to realize that simply dodging and defending wasn’t going to get her out of this. She was actually going to have to go on the offensive.

Akane waited a few more moments for the attacker to get closer before swinging her leg high into the air, ready to put all of the force she could muster into one of the kicks that she had been practicing. After swinging her leg all the way over her head she brought it crashing down… Right into the waiting grip of her opponent.

Akane’s eyes went wide as she realized that the person she was fighting had read her so easily. “Hey, let go!” she shouted, immediately starting to twist and turn every which way she could to try to break free of the grip the attacker had her in. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like that was going to be happening, and even with all of her struggling, she wasn’t able to get free.

And then, suddenly, the most searing pain she had ever felt went shooting through her body as a horrid cracking noise came from her ankle. It was unsettling, just how little effort it seemed to take for this mystery assailant to snap the bone clean in half. The moment it was shattered she let go, sending Akane tumbling to the ground as she collapsed and clutched at her ankle, writhing in pain. And just like that, the attacker began to walk away, apparently satisfied with the job they had done.

“Hey, where the hell are you going??” Akane shouted after her, still wincing in pain as she started to claw her way across the ground. Of course, she had no way of following after the mysterious figure now. “Get back here you fuckin’ coward! You just gonna run away like that??” But it didn’t do any good. The attacker got further and further away, until they disappeared from view entirely, leaving Akane there to drag herself back towards her bag, desperate to find her phone and call someone that could help her. It wasn’t like she was going to be walking anywhere on her own right now.


	14. Chapter 14

“OWARI!” The voice boomed down the hall, and a moment later the door to Akane’s hospital room slammed open as Nekomaru came barging in. Akane and Mikan were both in the room, Mikan standing to the side while Akane laid on her bed with her broken ankle propped up above her. They both turned towards the sound of his voice as Nekomaru came rushing over to Akane’s bedside.

“What happened?? Are you alright?? Who did this to you??” He let out a flurry of questions as he bent down beside Akane’s ankle, trying to get a closer look at the injury.

“I already told you everything I know,” Akane replied, avoiding eye contact with Nekomaru as she spoke. Her voice was quieter than it would usually be, lacking its normal energy. For most people it would just be considered a normal volume, but for Akane it was a clear sign that something was wrong. “I was walkin’ back from the gym after practice and some chick just came up and started attacking me outta nowhere,” she explained. “I didn’t get to see their face or anything. I dunno who it was, or what they wanted with me. They buzzed off as soon as they snapped my ankle.”

Nekomaru gritted his teeth together as he listened to the story, and it seemed like he was on the verge of an outburst. The moment Akane was finished speaking he pointed a finger towards Mikan, still using a voice that was probably far too loud for a hospital. “Tsumiki!” he demanded, causing Mikan to jump backwards a bit. “How long will it take this injury to heal?”

“W-Well,” Mikan began to stammer out, hating that she was going to have to be the bearer of bad news in this situation. “I-It’s going to take about six weeks for the b-bone to heal and the cast to c-come off. B-But even after that it will be a while before she m-makes a full recovery and can use it normally ag-gain.” Oh god, tears were already welling up in her eyes. This was her fault, wasn't it? Nekomaru was going to be mad at her for not being able to heal Akane more quickly, she knew it.

“That’s for a normal person!” Nekomaru shouted back. “But Owari’s a fighter! With her body she’ll be back to top form in half that time! No, a quarter-” It looked like he would have been able to go on with that for quite a while, but he was suddenly cut off as Akane placed a hand on his arm, looking up towards him apologetically.

“It’s no good coach,” she murmured under her breath. “I don’t think I’m goin’ to nationals anymore.” Hearing that made Nekomaru grit his teeth together even more tightly, balling his hands into tight fists.

“Of course you are!” he insisted. “You’ve been training hard for this all year, Owari! You think we're gonna let  one little injury keep you out of this competition? No way! We’ll have you back on your feet in no time, and you’ll be-” But once again, he was cut off.

“U-Um, I’m sorry to i-interrupt,” Mikan said, voice practically a whisper compared to Nekomaru’s bellowing. “But, I really can’t r-recommend that. If you t-try to force her to use her ankle before it’s healed y-you could risk injuring it even w-worse…” God, why did this keep happening? Why did her friends keep getting injured? First Mahiru, and now Akane…

“I think we should listen to her, coach,” Akane said, keeping her hand on Nekomaru’s arm as she looked up at him. “She knows what she’s talkin’ about…”

“...Dammit,” Nekomaru replied after a few moments of silence, shutting his eyes tightly as he forced himself to say this. “Alright. A good coach knows when to back down and listen to his athletes. If you both think this is for the best…”

“I-I’ll do everything I can to make sure she r-recovers as fast as possible!” Mikan promised, wanting to be anything other than the nurse who failed to get Akane healed up in time. “But, it’s s-still unlikely that I’ll b-be able to speed the process up that much…”

“Thanks, Tsumiki,” Akane replied, although she didn’t sound that enthusiastic. She really was thankful, it was just… Hard to express that at the moment. It was hard to think about anything other than missing out on nationals right now. Not just for her, but for the rest of her family as well. She had really been counting on that cash prize. Without it, she was going to have some bad news for all of her brothers and sisters.

“Is there anything I can do for her right now?” Nekomaru asked, looking back towards Mikan. “I’ll bring her anything she needs! Ice or food or drink! I could even give her  _ it _ !” Brushing past that last part, Mikan just shook her head.

“Right now the b-best thing for her would be to rest. We should probably l-leave her alone.”

“Alright!” Nekomaru agreed, energy seeming to return to him just as quickly as it had left. “You heard her, Owari! Get plenty of rest! Doctor's orders! I’ll be in to check on you tomorrow!”

“Will do coach!” Akane replied, forcing a grin onto her face and enthusiasm into her voice. It only lasted for a moment, though, before faltering once again. “And… Sorry about this,” she added on, looking back down towards her ankle.

“Don’t apologize for it!” Nekomaru insisted. “The only one who has anything to apologize for is the punk who did this to you! And when I find her," he warned, smashing his fist into the palm of his other hand,  "I’m gonna show her what happens when you mess with Nekomaru Nidai’s athletes! She won’t know what hit her!”

“Thanks, coach,” Akane replied, forcing out a weak laugh. It was good to at least know that, throughout all of this, she would always have him by her side. “I’ll catch ya later.”

“Rest up!” Nekomaru repeated, before following Mikan out of the hospital room. At that point it was just Akane, by herself, left alone with her thoughts. She kept replaying that moment over and over again in her mind, reliving the entire fight. She thought about every move she had made, every move her opponent had made, everything she could have done differently. But at the end of it all, there was no point in thinking about what she could have done to save herself. She had lost, plain and simple. There was no going back to undo something like that, as much as she might want to. She had lost, and she was stuck living with the consequences.


	15. Chapter 15

Mikan sat on the edge of her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. Beside her Mahiru lay on Mikan’s bed, sound asleep. It had been a week since her injury, and Mikan had told her that she should be able to return to her classes the next day, now that she was confident that Mahiru’s injury was treated and her condition was stable. Honestly, Mikan probably could have let her go a bit earlier, but-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door. It was late, and Mikan had a feeling that she already knew who was there. There was only one person who tended to visit her at all, let alone this late at night. Moving over to the door and peering through the peephole Mikan’s suspicions were confirmed, and she opened up the door to see Junko Enoshima standing there.

“Hey,” Junko said, glancing past Mikan to see that Mahiru was still laying on the bed. “How’s our little shutterbug doing?”

“She’s a-almost fully recovered,” Mikan replied, glancing back at Mahiru as well before returning her attention to Junko. “W-Was, uh, did you n-need something?” she asked, keeping her voice even quieter than usual so as not to disturb Mahiru.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Junko replied, nodding her head up and down a few times. “I just wanted to swing by and see if you got that little present I sent you.”

“P-Present?” Mikan was confused at this point, scrunching her face as she tried to figure out what Junko was talking about. She certainly hadn’t seen any present come through for her.

“Yeah, you know! My present,” Junko repeated, starting to gesture with her hand to a height that was about the same as her own. “Around this tall, huge boobs, broken ankle…” At that point it clicked in Mikan’s mind, and she opened her mouth to blurt something out before a hand clapped itself over her lips, resulting in nothing more than a muffled squeak. “Shh,” Junko hissed, glancing over towards Mahiru and speaking in a whisper. “You’ll wake her up.” The last thing she needed was for Mahiru to overhear any of this.

“B-But, w-what…” Mikan stammered out as Junko removed her hand. “Why d-did you hurt Owari like that?” she whispered. Honestly, she didn’t know why she was keeping her voice low right now. It probably would have been in her best interest to wake Mahiru up, and to make sure that her friend overheard all of this. But Junko had told her to keep her voice down, so…

“Well, to be fair,” Junko replied, crossing her arms and looking up at nothing in particular as she spoke, “I didn’t actually do it myself. I got my sis on board for this one. I mean, Mukuro’s got the brains of a dog and the face of an even uglier dog, but at least she knows how to beat someone up.”

“But w-why??” Mikan insisted, still speaking in a frantic whisper. “W-Why would you do something like that to h-her?”

“Why?” Junko replied, meeting Mikan’s gaze once again. “Because you’ve been so helpful to me with this whole Koizumi situation. I figured that merited a little thank you gift, y’know?”

“Y-You hurt one of my friends!” Mikan blurted out. “How is th-this a gift??” She didn’t understand what was going on here. Was Junko messing with her? Was this just a joke? Or was it supposed to be a threat of some sort? Was the entire part about this being a gift sarcastic?

“Mikan, Mikan, Mikan,” Junko sighed, shaking her head a few times with a look of disappointment on her face. “You’re focusing on the wrong part of this. Yeah, she’s hurt right now, but you’re gonna make her better,” she insisted. “And she’s never gonna forget that you did that for her. Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few ankles, right?”

“You p-put her in the hospital!” Mikan repeated, still understandably hung up on that one detail. Junko didn’t reply to that right away. Instead she reached out, cupping Mikan’s cheek, tapping her bright red nails against the other girl’s pale skin. She leaned in closer, lips hovering right next to Mikan’s ear as she spoke, close enough that the nurse would be able to feel Junko’s breath on her skin.

“And you’ll get to be the one to watch her the entire time she’s there,” Junko whispered. “You’ll get to be the one to save her. She _needs_ you now, Mikan.  So don’t worry,” she promised. “This will be our little secret. Nobody else has to know.”

“I d-don’t know if I can k-keep something like that a secret…” Mikan stammered, her entire body going rigid when she felt Junko so close to her. Her face was turning red, and she could feel her heart beating in her ears.

“Think it over,” Junko suggested, smiling at Mikan as she pulled back. “Don’t make any hasty decisions. And let Koizumi know I stopped by while she was asleep! Tell her to give me a ring when she can. I’ll see you later, Mikan.” With her business taken care of Junko turned on her heels, starting to strut back down the dorm hallway. She certainly knew how to make an exit.


	16. Chapter 16

Red. Everything was red. The walls. The floor. His hands. His suit. His hair. His face. The mutilated corpse laying on the ground in front of him, which was barely even recognizable as a human being anymore. Everything was stained red. Everything except Junko Enoshima, who had somehow managed to avoid getting a single drop of blood on her.

“See?” she asked, boots sloshing through the puddles of crimson as she approached Fuyuhiko. “Isn’t this so much better than sending your goons out to do the dirty work for you? Don’t you just feel so _alive_?” she giggled, lips curling up at the irony of her words. Fuyuhiko didn’t answer at first, still panting heavily as he came down from the rush of what he had just done. He let go of the metal pipe in his hand, letting it land on the ground with a clank and a splash.

“I’m not supposed to be doing this,” he finally replied, staring down at the body laying on the floor.”

“You’re not supposed to be killing people? You certainly picked an awfully inconvenient time to sprout a conscious,” came Junko’s reply.

“I mean I’m not supposed to be doing it myself,” Fuyuhiko growled, finally ripping his eyes away from the corpse to glare back at Junko. “My family would kill me if they found out. Peko would-”

“Then don’t let them find out,” Junko interrupted. “Pretty simple solution, right? If you can hide all the nasty shit you’ve done from the police for this long then you can probably keep a few little secrets from mommy and daddy.”

“You don’t know my family,” Fuyuhiko muttered. “You don’t know my parents.”

“True,” Junko replied, reaching out and placing a hand on the shoulder of Fuyuhiko’s blood-stained suit. “But I know you. And I knew your sister.” He visibly tensed at the mention of Natsumi. It had been her death that had set him off on this entire path in the first place, that had gotten him involved with Junko. But at least for the past few minutes, he had almost managed to forget about that. Now it was coming right back to him, though.

“How the hell is this supposed to help me anyway?” Fuyuhiko demanded, turning to face Junko completely. Junko, for once in her life, actually seemed a little bit startled, arching her eyebrow at the question.

“What, you mean that didn’t make you feel better at all?” she asked. “Not even a little bit?”

“It did for about two fuckin’ seconds,” Fuyuhiko grumbled in response. “Now I just feel like shit again. And I can’t exactly go around killing people twentyfour-seven to keep this feeling up.”

“Shhh,” Junko hushed, as she pressed a slender finger up against Fuyuhiko’s lips. “This was just your first time. It only gets better from here,” she promised.

“How many times have you done this before?” Fuyuhiko had to admit, Junko was strangely terrifying. And the fact that he thought that said something, given that he was a yakuza prince, and Junko was just a fashion model. Although saying she was “just” a model didn’t really seem accurate at this point.

“Was I supposed to be keeping track?” Junko just shrugged her shoulders up at the question, seeming disturbingly cavalier given that she was talking about literal murders. “Never bothered. That always felt sort of tacky.”

“You’re insane.” Fuyuhiko felt like he should have realized this a long time ago, but the full weight of the situation was finally hitting him all at once. This was the second murder he had committed at Junko’s suggestion. Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista, was pushing him towards violent murders to cope with the death of his sister. And she seemed to be enjoying it. Coming from a Yakuza family Fuyuhiko was no stranger to death and violence, but he had always treated it seriously. He at least understood the weight of these sorts of things. He had never found the sort of pleasure in it that Junko seemed to. "You're completely fuckin' insane."

“No,” Junko replied, face and voice both suddenly deadpanning. She was almost emotionless as she refuted the accusation, looking back at Fuyuhiko from behind eyes that nearly seemed lifeless. “It’s not insanity. _It’s despair_.”


	17. Chapter 17

Mahiru had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she approached her classroom. It was the first time she had been here in a week, and she hadn’t really been looking forward to this. Seeing Hiyoko and having to explain why she had been missing for so long would be one thing, but what she was even more afraid of was having to face Fuyuhiko and Peko. She hadn’t seen either of them since they had left her for dead in that hallway, and she really didn’t want to.

Taking one more deep breath to prepare herself Mahiru stepped into the classroom, early as usual. She was only the second student there- and the other was Hiyoko. There were worse ways that this could have turned out. Hiyoko looked up when she saw somebody else come into the room, and her face lit up when she realized who it was.

“Mahiru!” she cried out, practically leaping out of her chair and scrambling across the room towards her friend. Before Mahiru even had the chance to react Hiyoko’s arms were around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Mahiru was startled at first, and she had been expecting a flurry of questions about what had happened or where she had been, but this was nicer. She smiled a little bit, wrapping her arms around Hiyoko in return.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mahiru said, holding the embrace for a few seconds before taking a half-step backwards, looking down at Hiyoko. “I missed you.”

“I was worried about you,” Hiyoko huffed, crossing her arms and looking off to the side a bit, down towards the floor. She seemed sort of annoyed, but Mahiru knew Hiyoko well enough to know that this was the closest she would ever come to showing that she actually cared about someone.

“I’m sorry,” Mahiru replied, sighing quietly. She did feel a bit guilty for not contacting anyone while she had been recovering. “You really didn’t need to be worried though. I was just… Busy. I had a lot going on and-”

“You don’t need to lie to me,” Hiyoko interrupted, causing a startled expression to fall over Mahiru’s face. She didn’t quite know how to respond to an accusation like that.

“I don’t…” Mahiru eventually replied. “Why do you think I’m lying to you?”

“Because Enoshima  _ told _ me what really happened,” Hiyoko replied. Mahiru’s blood ran cold when she heard the mention of that name, and she was even more confused and caught off guard than she had been before. Knowing that Hiyoko had been in contact with Junko at all already had her worried, and it made her wonder why Junko hadn’t mentioned that. The even more pressing question, though, was why Junko had felt that Hiyoko needed to know about any of this.

“What the hell were you thinking??” Hiyoko demanded a moment later, placing her hands on her hips and scowling at Mahiru. “Picking a fight with someone like Kuzuryuu? You know how dangerous he is! You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Mahiru just closed her eyes and gave a small nod in response to that, biting back comments about how Hiyoko had been the one who had encouraged her to do this in the first place. She knew Hiyoko well enough to know that the girl probably felt bad, even if she wouldn’t admit to it.

“I know,” Mahiru replied. “I know it was stupid and reckless of me, and I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m alright though,” she added on, opening her eyes again and smiling down at Hiyoko. “You don’t need to worry about me anymore.”

“You could’ve texted me or something,” Hiyoko muttered. “At least to let me know you were still alive.”

“...I know,” Mahiru said again, after another few moments of silence. “I’m sorry that I didn’t. But after everything that happened, after nearly dying, and after losing Sato…” she explained, voice going a bit softer as she spoke that name, “I think I was happy to have an excuse to just… Disappear for a little while. And not have to deal with anything.”

“Well, I guess I can forgive you for that,” Hiyoko decided, actually earning a small laugh from Mahiru. “But don’t you ever go doing something like that again!” she demanded.

“Don’t worry,” Mahiru promised, shaking her head. “I wasn’t planning on it.” Voices and footsteps could be heard out in the hall, telling them both that the other students were starting to arrive, and Mahiru took the excuse to gesture towards their seats. “C’mon,” she urged. “Let’s go sit down.” Being able to get away from everything for a while had been much needed, even if the circumstances surrounding Mahiru’s break hadn’t been the greatest. But now, it was sort of nice to be back.


	18. Chapter 18

The class was tense, to say the least. Fortunately Fuyuhiko and Peko hadn’t shown up until the classroom was already filling up, allowing Mahiru to avoid any confrontation. Still, she could feel him glaring daggers into her throughout the entire period, and she was dreading what was going to happen when she tried to leave.

She put it off for as long as she could, hanging out around her desk and talking to Hiyoko for a while, hoping that everyone else would be gone by the time they finally went to leave. It was almost half an hour before Mahiru finally started to move towards the door, Hiyoko still by her side.

“We should stop by the market!” Hiyoko suggested as they stepped out into the hall, earning another little smile from Mahiru. “I’m almost out of gummies, and I can’t study without them.”

“Alright, we can take a trip there then,” Mahiru agreed. This felt nice. Even after everything else that had happened, this sort of felt normal again. This was something that she needed at the moment. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was going to last for long. Mahiru was only a few steps out into the hall when she froze, seeing Fuyuhiko and Peko blocking his path.

“I wasn’t sure if you were ever gonna be coming back here,” Fuyuhiko said, hands stuffed into his pockets as he stared down the hall at Mahiru. “I was starting to think you might’ve dropped out. Or died.”

“What do you want, Kuzuryuu?” she replied, standing her ground as she looked back at him. Honestly she was terrified, but Hiyoko’s presence was enough to keep her from showing that much.

“I wanna know why the fuck you thought it was okay to come back here after what you did!” Fuyuhiko spat in response. His hands flew up from his pockets as he approached, grabbing Mahiru by her shoulders.

“Hey! Get your hands off her!” Hiyoko shouted. She ran forward to try to throw herself between Fuyuhiko and Mahiru, but before she could even reach them Peko had bolted down the hall, slamming Hiyoko back against the wall.

“This doesn’t concern you,” she said, voice dry and emotionless. “You should have just walked away.”

“Let me go! Get away from her!” Hiyoko continued to shout, thrashing against Peko as if it would do her any good.

“What the hell were you thinking coming after me like that anyway?” Fuyuhiko demanded, keeping his grip tight on Mahiru. “Did you really think you could pull something like that off? Did you actually think I’d fall for your stupid little trap? How idiotic do you think I am?”

“...You’re right.” The answer seemed to come as a surprise to everyone, even Mahiru herself. She closed her eyes after she said it, posture slumping down in Fuyuhiko’s grip. Really, what had she been thinking? “It was pointless for me to even try.”

“Damn right it was,” Fuyuhiko growled back. “You’re lucky to even be alive right now, you know that? I’ve got half a mind to finish you off for good this time.”

“No!” Hiyoko shouted, still flailing wildly in an attempt to break free from Peko’s restraint. “Get your hands off her right now! You’re gonna pay for this!”

“Fucking pathetic,” Fuyuhiko spat, shoving Mahiru backwards and finally releasing her from his grip. “Come on Peko, we’re leaving.” Peko gave a small nod of affirmation, finally releasing Hiyoko and starting to walk off down the hall after her master. Mahiru stood where she was for a moment before simply buckling, falling to her knees in the middle of the hallway, staring down towards the ground.

“Mahiru!” Hiyoko cried out, rushing over and crouching down beside her. “Are you alright??” she asked frantically, reaching out and putting a hand to Mahiru’s shoulder. She didn’t get an answer though. Mahiru barely even seemed to be listening. She was lost in her own thoughts at the moment. What Fuyuhiko had said, it was right. What the hell had she been thinking, stepping out of her lane like that? She should have known that it would never work. Fuyuhiko was a yakuza prince. Peko was a swordsman. And she… She was just a lowly photographer.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's longer than most, so it seemed like as good a time as any to start using honorifics. I've been reading up on them and how the different DR characters use them, and I decided it would be good to start including them in my writing. Apologies if it's sort of jarring after not using them for the first eighteen chapters (maybe I'll go back and edit them in if I find the time), but I'll be sticking with them from here on out, so hopefully it's not too hard to get used to.

Mahiru was anxious as she sat on the bench, looking down at her phone, and rereading the last message she had received several times over.

“Junko Enoshima: k be there in a few. 7:46 pm”

It didn’t really seem that bad on its own, but Mahiru still wasn’t sure what to think of Junko. When Mikan had passed along the message, telling Mahiru that Junko wanted to see her again after she got better, Mahiru had been a bit scared. Even if Junko had helped her so far, had gone as far as saving Mahiru’s life after the incident with Fuyuhiko, something about the Fashionista still gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And speak of the devil, there she was. Junko’s footsteps announced her presence in advance, the tall heels of her boots clacking against the cobblestone path as she approached the bench. “Hey!” she called out, waving towards the photographer, a delighted smile on her face. “You look like you’re feeling better! Did you go to class today?”

Mahiru looked up towards the source of the noise, forcing a smile onto her face and giving a small nod in reply. “Yeah, I did. Mikan-chan told me that I should be well enough by now. And I’m feeling a lot better, honestly.”

“Good, good! Glad to hear that!” Junko said, slipping onto the bench next to Mahiru and leaning up against the back of it, making herself comfortable. “Now that you’re fully recovered I can admit that it was real touch and go with you for a while. Tsumiki-senpai wasn’t even sure if you were going to make it at first. But we’re both glad you did!” Mahiru looked down towards her own feet when she heard that, giving a small nod in agreement.

“When I was sitting there in that hallway, bleeding out and losing consciousness… I thought that was going to be the end,” she admitted. “I thought I was going to die there.”

“Jeez,” Junko replied, frowning and reaching out to put an arm around Mahiru. Mahiru flinched a bit at the touch, but she didn’t pull away or resist it. “That must’ve been scary…”

“Maybe,” Mahiru replied. “But, maybe not as scary as it should have been. Part of me was afraid. But part of me just kept thinking about how… Maybe I would get to see Sato-chan again soon.”

“Oh  _ hell _ no,” Junko cut in, frown growing even deeper than it had been before. “Do you think that’s what she would have wanted for you? For you to go ahead and get yourself killed like that just so you could be with her sooner?”

“I… Maybe,” came Mahiru’s timid response. Her friendship with Sato had meant a lot to her, and the girl had always been one of the people that she was the closest to. Sato's death had destroyed Mahiru emotionally. But if she were to take a step back, take off the rose tinted glasses and look at it objectively… There was a part of her that honestly believed Sato would rather they both die than they be separated like this. It was part of the reason she had never dated anyone. It was part of the reason there had been just a bit of fear mixed in with the excitement when Sato had followed her to Hope’s Peak. Saying that she was relieved about Sato’s death would be a horrible thing, and not true at all. But even Mahiru had to realize that maybe her leash had just gotten a little bit longer.

“I don’t know,” she sighed a moment later, trying to put words to the cluttered jumble of thoughts that was bouncing around inside her brain. “My friendship with her was… Complicated. She wasn’t…” She wasn’t a great person. That was what Mahiru wanted to say. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not so soon after Sato’s death. Fortunately, it didn’t seem that she had to.

“Hey, I get it,” Junko said, tugging Mahiru a little bit closer with the hand around her shoulders. “Nobody’s perfect and plenty of people have a shitty side. Hell, even I've got my flaws. But she was still your friend, yeah? And anyone who called themselves your friend wouldn’t want to see you go out like that.” Mahiru would have loved to believe that that were true, but honestly, she wasn’t sure if she could. Instead she just shook her head, opting to change the subject.

“Why did you want to meet up with me anyway? You made it sound like you had something important to say.”

“What, checking in to make sure you’re not dying isn’t important enough all on its own?” Junko asked, grinning at Mahiru for just a moment before dropping the act. “Nah, you’re right. There was something else I wanted to talk to you about. A couple of things, actually. First off,” she began, expression and tone both suddenly going gravely serious, “Where the  _ fuck  _ did you get a stupid idea like that?” The sudden change in Junko’s behavior had Mahiru caught a little off guard, and she looked up towards the model with a startled expression on her face while she tried to find the right words to explain herself.

“I… Hiyoko-chan,” she eventually replied, thinking back to the conversation she had with her friend shortly before going after Fuyuhiko. “She put the idea in my head, and I just…”

“And you actually thought it was a good one?” Junko interjected. “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but… You’re kinda a little runt, and he’s a Yaukuza prince with bodyguards and shit. How the fuck did you think that was going to go down?”

“Better than it did, apparently,” Mahiru replied. “I know it was stupid. I can see that now.” Even before she had attacked Fuyuhiko, she had still known that it was stupid. She had known that it wasn’t going to work. But she just…

“You didn’t care, did you?” Once again, Junko’s words caught Mahiru off guard, and she made a startled sound as she looked back up towards the fashionista. “You didn’t care what happened. You knew you would probably get yourself killed, but that didn’t matter to you. Nothing did.”

“...Yeah. Basically,” Mahiru admitted, voice still soft, especially compared to Junko’s. “You’re like a mind reader or something. It’s sort of freaking me out.” Junko just laughed at that, waving a hand dismissively.

“I’m good at figuring people out. Which is why I also know that for a little while there, giving up actually felt kind of good.” Mahiru’s face twisted into a frown when she heard that, and she looked up at Junko with an expression of mild annoyance.

“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “That was rock bottom. I didn’t enjoy a single second of it.”

“You sure about that?” Junko seemed confident in her assessment, lifting a red-tipped finger into the air, as if to make her point stand out more. “You’re telling me there was nothing freeing about that at all? That you didn’t enjoy just, not caring for a little while? I mean, think about it! You were so ‘fuck the consequences’ that you charged straight at a Yakuza prince with a baseball bat like some kind of action movie hero. Imagine if you could channel that sort of attitude all the time! You could do practically anything!”

“I would get myself killed for real!” Mahiru protested. “I already nearly died once, I doubt I'm going to get another chance if I screw up again!”

“But you didn’t care! That’s the beauty of it all!” Junko insisted. “You don’t fear anything! You don’t fear death, you don’t fear failure, it’s perfect. That’s what people don’t understand,” she went on. She wasn’t even looking at Mahiru at this point. Her arm was still around the photographer, but she was staring off at nothing in particular. Her eyes looked different somehow, almost as if they were empty. Almost as if she weren’t really there anymore. “Until you hit rock bottom, none of that is possible. As long as you still care, as long as you’re still holding onto hope, you’ll never get anywhere. But once you give in to those feelings, once you don’t care what will happen, you can accomplish things you’d never be able to do otherwise. That’s the truth. The true power... Of despair.”

“I need to go,” Mahiru replied, more or less blurting the words out. She didn’t know what had just happened, or why Junko’s entire personality seemed to have turned on a dime like that, but suddenly she realized that she wanted to be as far from this conversation as possible. She stood up from the bench and began to move away, but a tight grip around her wrist made it clear that Junko wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Sorry. Sometimes my thoughts get away from me,” Junko said. Her expression was back to normal now, and the emptiness behind her eyes had faded away just as quickly as it had shown up. She smiled up at Mahiru, looking like the epitome of a friendly high school girl. It still didn’t do much to dispel the uneasiness that she had just created, though. “Still, you’ve gotta admit… I have a point, don’t I?”

“What, that I should just give up?” Mahiru responded, a biting edge finding its way into her voice now. “That I should stop caring? That I should let despair take over again?” She gave another small tug against Junko’s grip as she spoke, trying to pull herself away from it, but Junko didn’t show any sign of letting go.

“Would it really be so bad?” Junko asked. “Despair is so much more than people realize. It lets people like you break out of your plain old life. It turned a timid little high school girl into a force to be reckoned with. Is that really so bad? What’s worse? Being full of despair? Or being boring?”

Boring. When Mahiru heard that word she went silent. Her shoulders slouched down. She gave up her struggling against Junko’s grip. She just stood there as the seconds passed between them, before finally speaking up in a voice that barely managed to break above a whisper, giving the exact answer that Junko already knew she would get.

“Being boring…”


	20. Chapter 20

The halls outside of Hope’s Peak’s infirmary were, for the most part, quiet. The silence was then interrupted rather suddenly by the sound of metal clattering against the tile floor, followed by a dull thud a moment later.

“O-Owari-san!” Mikan cried out, rushing to over where Akane had ended up on the ground, groaning and rubbing her head. “Are you a-alright??”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Akane grumbled, reaching out for the crutch that had fallen onto the floor beside her. “God damn these things are annoying.” She was used to be able to run and jump and flip through the air without a second thought, and now she couldn’t even manage to walk down a hallway without tripping over herself.

“W-Well, you’re still just learning to u-use them,” Mikan pointed out, grabbing the crutch for Akane and handing it back to her. “I’m sure you’ll get better with practice…”

“This still aint exactly the kinda thing I wanna have to learn to be good at in the first place,” Akane replied. She took the crutch from Mikan, clumsily using it to get back onto her feet so that she could take another crack at it. Like or not she was going to have to do this if she wanted to be able to get around for the next few weeks.

“Well th-think of it as a challenge,” Mikan suggested, figuring that that might appeal to Akane’s extremely competitive nature. “L-Lots of people learn to use crutches at s-some point. You don’t w-want to l-lose to them, do you?” The question seemed to have its desired effect, and a moment later Akane was as fired up as she had ever been.

“Hell nah! There’s no way I’m gonna let these stupid things get the better of me!” she shouted. And just like that she was at it again, the rubber tips of the crutches tap tap tapping against the floor as she made her way down the hall. Seeing the dedication Akane displayed brought a smile to Mikan’s face- but only for a moment, before it faltered.

She still hadn’t told Akane that she had known who was responsible for the attack, or that it was actually someone she had come to consider a friend. She had thought about it long and hard, spent quite a bit of time debating what the right thing to do was. But at the end of it all she had ended up taking Junko’s side, and keeping her secret.

It hadn’t been bad at first. For the first couple of days that Akane had been recovering in the hospital she had been quiet, worn down, nothing like her usual self. And somehow, that had actually made it easier. In that condition, Mikan had everything that Junko had promised her out of the situation. A friend who needed her help, who was reliant on her, who, to a certain degree, she had control over. For those few days everything had been perfect, and it had been easy to ignore the little voice telling her that what she was doing was wrong.

Now, though… Now Akane was getting back to her regular self. She had found her energy again. She was determined to get better, and no matter how many times she was told that it was basically impossible, she was determined to heal up in time to go to Nationals. And seeing her like this, Mikan felt bad. It made her realize that in this story, she was the bad guy. Even if she hadn’t done anything wrong directly, she had been complicit in it. She hadn’t told Akane the truth about what had happened to her. And every time she saw Akane smile or heard her laugh, that guilt got harder to deal with. Now it had reached the point where it was eating her alive.

No more. It was a sudden, impulsive decision, especially for Mikan of all people. But she knew that she couldn’t keep doing this. She couldn’t keep lying to her friend. She couldn’t keep taking advantage of someone who trusted her. She needed to come clean. Taking a deep breath she prepared herself, speaking up in the strongest voice she could muster.

“O-Owari-san? There’s s-something I n-need to-”

“Check it out! I did it!” The strongest voice Mikan could muster, as it turned out, still wasn’t very strong at all. It was quiet enough, in fact, that now that she had made it all the way down to the end of the hall, Akane hadn’t even heard it. Instead the gymnast was standing there looking over her shoulder, an enormous, triumphant grin on her face. “I made it all the way down here without fallin’!” she declared, before tilting her head curiously. “Sorry, were you sayin’ something?”

“N-No!” Mikan blurted out, shaking her head rather frantically. The moment had passed, and the confidence and courage she had mustered had been fleeting. And seeing Akane standing there, looking so proud of herself… Mikan couldn’t bring herself to drag Akane back down. Not now. “I j-just… G-good job,” she ended up saying, forcing a smile onto her face as she looked back at classmate.

“Thanks!” Akane replied, grinning even more widely before turning her attention towards the staircase up to the second floor of Hope’s Peak not that far away from her. “Alright! I’ve already got this whole walkin’ on flat ground thing down, so let’s kick it up a notch! I’m coming for you, stairs!”

“W-Wait, be careful!” Mikan cried out, suddenly beginning to dash down the hall towards Akane before Akane managed to do something stupid and hurt herself even worse. “I d-don’t know if you’re ready for that yet!”

"Well I'd better be! 'Cause ready or not, here I come!"


	21. Chapter 21

“Ah! How adorable!”

“Adorable? Tch. You stand before Grizner, lord of the forest and the keeper of the Well of Malebolge! A single of his roars could shatter the crust of the Earth and end all life on this wretched planet! While I wouldn’t expect a mortal such as yourself to comprehend his true power, I would still expect you to understand the level of respect necessary when dealing with such a-”

“May I pet him?”

“...You may.”

Sonia Nevermind and Gundham Tanaka, at present, stood in front of an enormous bear. Normally it might have been a concerning situation, but Gundham had ensured that the bear was well trained before bringing it anywhere near Hope’s Peak. As she received permission to pet the creature Sonia’s face lit up, and she reached forward, quickly burying her hands into the dark brown fur that covered his back.

“He is so soft!” she commented, rubbing her hands up and down the creature’s body. “I always would have assumed a bear’s fur to be much rougher than this!”

“Because you set your expectations based on the common beasts that wander the forests, covering themselves in dirt and filth. But Grizner is no such creature! As a gatekeeper of Hell itself, each individual strand of his hair shines with the souls of a thousand fallen angels!”

“Fallen angels are very soft then!” Sonia commented, keeping her hands pressed against the beast’s side for another few seconds before pulling back and turning to face Gundham completely. “Thank you for introducing me to him, Tanaka-san!” Gundham crossed his arms over his chest at the comment, glancing off to the side, keeping his eyes on the bear rather than on his classmate.

“Even mighty beasts of the wild desire company at times. And if there was anyone I believed would be worthy of standing in the presence of such a majestic creature, I determined that it would be you.”

“Are there any other animals that you could introduce me to?” Sonia clasped her hands together in front of her as she asked the question, looking up towards Gundham with a wide-eyed, hopeful expression on her face.

“But of course!” Gundham replied, scoffing at the very question. “Did you really think that I, the Ultimate Breeder, would be so ill-prepared as to come to this academy with nothing more than my four Dark Devas and Lord Grizner? These five demons represent a mere fraction of my arsenal! Come, I shall introduce you to the remainder of my otherworldly army at once!”

“Wonderful! Thank you, Tanaka-san!” Sonia’s face lit up even more as she heard that, jumping forward to toss her arms around Gundham and pull him into a tight hug. Gundham’s body immediately seemed to go rigid, and he stood there in a flustered silence for a few seconds before reaching up, stiffly pulling his scarf over his face to hide the blush that was coming to his cheeks.

“Yes. Well. We should leave at once,” he insisted. “It would be rude to keep such esteemed guests waiting for our presence.”

“Of course!” Sonia replied, letting go of Gundham and turning towards the bear. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Gizner-sama!” Gizner opened his mouth at that point, letting out a low growl that caused a smug smile to cross over Gundham’s face.

“Hmph. Rejoice, for he has deemed you worthy! Let us be on our way, before our extended presence tries his noble patience.” With that Gundham turned to leave, and Sonia was quick to follow after him, the smile on her face stretched even wider than before.


	22. Chapter 22

Sonia sighed as she stepped into her room, closing the door behind her. She had had a long, exhausting day, in the best way possible! Not only had she gotten to spend most of it with Gundham, but she had met so many animals in the process! It had been a wonderful way to enjoy a day off, and a much needed distraction from some of the things that had been weighing on her mind as of late.

Still, now that she was back in her room alone, it didn’t take long for those thoughts to start intruding on her again. She let out another sigh as she walked towards her desk, although this was less the contented sigh of someone who had just had a pleasantly exhausting day and more the weary sigh of someone who was about to confront something she really didn’t want to deal with.

As Sonia sat down at her desk she switched her lamp on, reaching into a drawer and taking out a carefully folded piece of paper. Opening it up, her eyes began to read over the letter her parents had written her once again. Even though she had read through it so many times by now that she had practically memorized every word, she still found herself compelled to do this, as if something would change after the hundredth time. It was, of course, written in the native tongue of Novoselic, rather than in Japanese, but seeing the familiar language after so long was the only comforting part of the entire note.

There were two words that jumped off the page every time she looked at it, two words that had made her heart stop the first time she had read them. “ _Arranged marriage_.” She was going to be married, to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She was to spend the rest of her life with someone she had never even met, purely for political reasons. Just so that their parents could shake hands and feel that the bond between their two nations was stronger, as if there weren’t other ways to go about that.

Growing up as a princess, she had always known that this was a possibility, that this might happen. And truthfully, it had never really bothered her before. She had always understood it to be her duty as a princess, a necessary sacrifice that she one day might have to make for the sake of her people and her kingdom. Even since coming to Hope’s Peak though, ever since getting the chance to live as a normal high school girl, her opinions on that had slowly begun to morph. The entire time she had been building up her social life, making friends, gossiping about relationships, maybe even starting to fall for someone herself, the idea of an arranged marriage had weighed more and more heavily on her. She had tried to push those thoughts to a dark corner of her brain, simply hoping that the day would never come, that it was a reality she would never actually have to face. But now it was.

“Love, mother and father.” As Sonia read the closing line, there was a brief moment of hesitation and doubt, possibly even anger, welling up inside of her. For them to claim that they loved her while forcing her to do something she didn’t want to do, to throw her entire future away for the sake of politics…

But she knew that that wasn’t fair. They were only thinking of what was best for their people, and Sonia knew that it was her responsibility to do the same. She had always known that her life here at Hope’s Peak was only temporary, and that one day she would return home to sit on the throne of Novoselic. She couldn’t stay a teenager in Japan forever, as much as there were times when she wanted to.

Knowing that her parent’s actions were justified still didn’t make any of it easier to process though. “If  being a princess was easy there would be far more of them.” That was something that Sonia vividly remembered her mother telling her when she had been growing up back in Novoselic, any time she had to do something she didn't want to do, and the words echoed loudly in her head as she folded the note back up, carefully using the same creases as before. She repeated them over and over to herself as she got ready for bed, and even once the lights were out and she was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling, she continued to whisper them to herself. Her own wants and desires meant nothing. Her own future meant nothing. The only thing that mattered was her people, and doing what was best for them. That was the life of a princess. The life that she had been born into.

Never the life that she had asked for.


	23. Chapter 23

Sonia still hadn’t told any of her friends about the engagement. After all, what would be the point? It wasn’t like any of her classmates would have the power to stop it, and knowing that she was wrestling with something so heavy would only bring them down as well. She much preferred to see her friends happy! And to be able to lose herself in that contagious happiness for a few hours at a time, rather than dwelling on the things that were troubling her. There was no reason to burden other people with her problems. That wasn’t what a princess was meant to do.

These temporary distractions were working well enough, though, and she was in high spirits after spending the past hour with the rest of her classmates. Depressing thoughts were, at least for the moment, kept at bay, and she even had a bit of a joyful skip in her step as she made her way out of the classroom, bag in hand. And then she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone shouting behind her.

“Holy SHIT!” Sonia was startled by the noise, spinning around to see a wide-eyed girl in tall boots and pigtails staring back at her. As someone who had followed Japanese culture religiously for many years even before getting accepted to Hope's Peak, it didn’t take Sonia long to identify the girl in return, and suddenly it seemed that both of them were starstruck.

“Enoshima-sama?” Sonia gasped, realizing that she was in the presence of a famous model and turning her formality up accordingly. Junko didn’t seem to care for that, though, waving a hand dismissively.

“Get that ‘sama’ crap outta here,” she insisted. “You’re an actual fricking princess, right?? If anything I’m the one that should be prostrating myself in front of you! You’re literal royalty!” Hearing that actually startled Sonia even more than the initial shout had. While it was true, Novoselic was a small kingdom. Most people here in Japan hadn’t even heard of it, let alone were capable of recognizing its princess. Of course, while she was happy to know that there was someone here who was familiar with her homeland, she still wasn’t a fan of being treated like a princess.

“That really is not necessary!” she promised. “If I cannot honor you for your accomplishments then you should not have to worry about honoring me because of my family! We are both students at this academy and should treat each other as such,” she suggested. The compromise seemed to go over well with Junko, who gave a little nod before adding on one small amendment.

“Alright, deal! But you’re still my upperclassman, so you can get me to drop the senpai when you pry it outta my cold dead fingers.” That condition was fair enough to Sonia, and she gave another nod before asking the question that was on her mind.

“Um… Was there a reason that you called out to me, Enoshima-san?”

“Do I need a reason to wanna talk to a princess??” Junko replied, stepping closer to Sonia and, in her obvious excitement, getting just a bit closer to the upperclassman than might have seemed normal. “Especially one from a place as cool as Novoselic! I’ve read all about your country, y’know!” While Sonia wasn’t exactly a fan of having attention drawn to her status as royalty, she was always more than happy to talk about her homeland, and her eyes lit up as Junko expressed familiarity with it.

“Really?” she gasped. “I was under the impression that most people in Japan had not even heard of its existence!”

“Well then they’re missing out!” Junko insisted. “I’ve always wanted to travel there, actually! Never got to do it though. With the whole model thing any time I go anywhere it’s for business and I don’t really get to pick where I wanna go. But I’ll get there someday!”

“If you ever find the time to visit Novoselic I would be more than happy to be your tourguide!” Sonia exclaimed. Maybe she was getting a bit ahead of herself on this one, but she couldn’t help her excitement. It was so rare for anyone to actually take an interest in Novoselic! “The kingdom may be very small, but I believe that is actually a good thing! It makes it easy to tour in a short amount of time without missing anything!”

“Man, that sounds so cool!” Junko groaned. “Screw it, I’m putting my foot down!” To emphasis that, Junko actually stomped her foot on the ground as she said those words. “Next time my agent wants to send me to Denmark or America or Brazil or some other dumb place like that I’m saying no! If he wants me to travel so bad he can toss me on the next flight to Novoselic, or else I’m not budging!

“That is wonderful!” Sonia exclaimed, her own excitement building off of Junko’s now. Not only was she excited that someone else cared about her country, but she was also excited about the sort of sway that Junko might be able to have. After all, she was a famous model. Novoselic was still pretty off the radar, but if people heard that a famous model like Junko Enoshima was vacationing there, it could provide a massive boost to Novoselic’s practically non-existent tourism industry. “If you ever do manage to visit, you are welcome to stay in the royal castle!”

“Holy shit!” Junko blurted out in response. “You guys _actually_ live in a castle?”

“We do!” Sonia replied. “The royal family has lived there for over a thousand years! The building may be very old and not that large, but it is still in excellent condition!”

“That’s so _cool_ _!_ ” Junko insisted, practically fangirling over the thought of it now. “I’ve always thought it would be cool to live in a castle,” she said, before tilting her head thoughtfully. “Come to think of it I could probably just buy one if I really wanted…” She certainly had the money for it. “But that’s not as cool as staying in one with an actual princess!” she hastily added on. “Man, this is gonna be so incredible! I’ve _gotta_ make time to go there now!” A moment later their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing down the hall, and Sonia gasped as she looked up.

“Ah, my apologies! I am late to my next class!” Sonia blurted out, before quickly beginning to take off down the hall. “I look forward to discussing this with you in the future, though!”

“Yeah, I'll be waiting! Bye bye, Nevermind-senpai!” Junko called after her, giving a little wave before spinning around to walk off in her own direction. The moment her back was to Sonia, an enormous grin stretched itself across Junko’s mouth- just in time for her to find herself face to face with another student. A boy, with a messy mop of white hair, and the most forgettable looking expression Junko had ever seen. She didn’t appreciate being snuck up on, and her grin quickly subsided into a nasty glare.

“What the fuck do you want?” she huffed. “Were you eavesdropping on us or something?”

“Oh, you’ll have to forgive me,” the boy replied, speaking with a voice that was so eerily calm it even made Junko herself uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” he explained, moving past the model and beginning to walk down the hall. “I think I just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time again. I tend to be unlucky like that.”


	24. Chapter 24

Mahiru was nervous. It had been three days since her last meeting with Junko. Just before leaving Junko had told Mahiru that she’d “be in touch,” but Mahiru hadn’t heard anything from the model since. And frankly, she was starting to feel like that was for the best. Every time Mahiru thought about the last conversation the two of them had had, she started to feel nauseous. She felt like it would be better to forget all of that and put in the past.

Today, though, on the third day, she had gotten a somewhat odd text from Junko. It had contained an address, along with “7:30 tonight.” There was no other information, and when Mahiru had texted back asking for details, she had only been greeted with silence. As the day dragged on Mahiru kept going back and forth, debating whether or not to actually show up. But while she was afraid of what might happen if she went, she was even more afraid of what might happen if she didn’t. That was reason enough for her to go.

But as Mahiru began to approach her destination, those second-guessing thoughts returned to her head. The address was a long way from Hope’s Peak, and it was in a part of the city she had never been to before, for good reason. Mahiru had hardly grown up rich, but she had gotten by, and she had never lived an area that was as sketchy and run down as where she was right now. The buildings were falling apart around her, and there were strung out looking homeless people on every corner. It felt like a miracle that she hadn’t been stabbed yet. Why the hell had Junko wanted to meet her in a place like this?

Soon enough Mahiru would be able to ask her that question directly, though. As she rounded another corner she saw Junko standing there, leaning up against the outside of a boarded up building. She jumped up straight as Mahiru approached, giving an energetic, overly-animated wave.

“Hey Koizumi-senpai!” she called out. “I was starting to get worried you weren’t going to show up!” Her demeanor seemed entirely wrong for the situation. This place was sad, tired, hopeless, and yet Junko seemed so upbeat and happy. It didn’t feel right.

“Why did you want to meet here?” Mahiru asked, hands holding onto her camera strap and fidgeting with it uneasily as she approached. “I was worried I’d get mugged on the way over here…”

“Yeah, it does kinda have that feel to it, huh?” Junko laughed. “Don’t worry about it though. Most of the people are way too high to even notice you walking past right now.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Well sure! It’s not the ones that are stoned you have to worry about. It’s the ones who aren’t. Now c’mon!” With that Junko turned back towards the building she had been leaning up against, grabbing the knob on the front door and tossing it open. Mahiru was a bit surprised to see that that was actually possible. With the way all of the windows had been boarded up, she had assumed that the case would be the same with the door. Apparently not. That still didn’t answer the question of why Junko wanted her to go inside though, and Mahiru wasn’t going any further until she got some answers.

“Tell me what we’re going to be doing in there,” she demanded, adopting a stern expression and doing her best to keep her voice calm, despite the circumstances.

“Jeez, you’re really not a patient person, are you?” Junko groaned. “You remember our last conversation, don’t you?” There was a brief pause when she said that. Mahiru remembered it, certainly, but she sort of wished that she didn’t. The power of despair… Was that what this was all about?

“I do,” she eventually said. “But what does that have to do with-”

“Let’s go,” Junko interrupted. “And keep your camera ready. We’re about to see some shit.” Before Mahiru had the chance to say anything else Junko had disappeared inside the building, and the moment of panic that caused didn’t leave Mahiru time to second guess herself. She immediately followed after, dashing through the door behind Junko.

The inside of the building was more or less what someone would have expected. There was no furniture anywhere to be seen, there were holes in the walls where leaky pipes and faulty wiring were visible, the floorboards were coming up and threatening to trip anyone who wasn’t careful. The building looked like it hadn’t been in use for years- not by actual tenants, anyway. The scattered needles and food wrappers gave Mahiru the feeling that there might have been some squatters, though.

“Careful,” Junko said, starting to walk across the floor, boots causing the wood to creak with each step that she took. “Don’t prick yourself. You don’t know where those needles have been.”

“I have a pretty good feeling,” Mahiru muttered back, staring down at the litter before glancing back up to realize that Junko was already at the other end of the room. She hurriedly followed after her, not wanting to be left alone in a place like this. “You still haven’t told me what we’re doing here,” she added on, trying her best to sound annoyed by that, rather than terrified.

“Can you calm down for two seconds?” Junko asked, approaching a doorway that lead down to the basement. The door itself looked like it had come off its hinges a long time ago, and now it was simply leaning up against the wall next to the frame. The stairs themselves didn’t look very trustworthy either, but that didn’t seem to stop Junko. “Come down here,” she said, already starting to descend. “Then you’ll understand.” Each stair creaked even more than the floor had when she stepped on it, and while Mahiru was nervous, she reluctantly followed.

The basement was, unsurprisingly, pitch black. There were no windows, and the light that managed to creep in upstairs only stretched out a few feet from the bottom of the staircase before fading off. There was a smell, though. A horrible one. While Mahiru couldn’t see the source of it, she fully expected the entire basement to be filled with garbage that hadn’t been taken out properly.  As she reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped onto the concrete floor, Mahiru finally put her foot down.

“Enough,” she insisted. “I’m not going into some pitch black, smelly basement in an abandoned building in a terrible part of town. Just tell me what’s going on here.”

“Relax, relax, there’s a light around here somewhere,” Junko replied, disappearing into the dark for a few seconds while searching around for it. “Ah, here we go!” she called out a moment later, yanking down on the cord and lighting up the basement. And allowing Mahiru to see the horrible sight before her.

By most accounts, the basement was perfectly average. It was a large open space, with concrete walls and a concrete floor, a few thick supports stretched out at various distances to keep the building standing. What made it horrifying was the bodies. There were close to a dozen of them, leaning up against the walls and stretched out across the floor. There was blood everywhere, caked onto skin, soaked into clothing, smeared across every surface. All of the bodies looked like they had been severely beaten, some more than others. A few of them were barely even recognizable as humans anymore.

“W-Wha…” Mahiru stammered out, face going as white as a ghost as she froze in place. Her eyes were wide, and her body was shaking as she looked on at the scene in horror. Why? Why had Junko brought her to a place like this? Why did Junko even  _ know  _ about a place like this? Was she responsible? Had she killed these people? Was Mahiru going to be next?

“Can you believe it?” Junko asked, shaking her head in mock disgust at the sight that Mahiru found to be so horrifying. “We’re off at Hope’s Peak getting pampered and treated like royalty, and something like this is going on just a few minutes away. There’s been a whole string of murders recently, I don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with the news. Police are saying it’s some kind of serial killer. I guess this is where he’s been dropping all the bodies.”

“H-How…” Mahiru finally managed to stammer out, still unable to rip her eyes away from the gruesome display that was disturbing her so deeply. “How d-did you know about this? How did you f-find this?”

“Hmm?” Junko asked, touching a finger to her chin and looking up thoughtfully. “Well… I  _ might  _ have had a teeny tiny bit to do with this,” she admitted, a proud grin spreading over her face. It looked like she was taking credit for a surprise party. Not confessing to mass murder.

“W-Why are you showing m-me this?” Mahiru asked next. In her head, though, she already had an answer. Junko was showing her this because she was going to be next. For the second time in as many weeks, she was certain that she was going to die where she stood. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be Junko’s plan after all.

“Take a photo,” the model demanded. The request was so sudden, so unrelated to everything that they had just been saying, and so seemingly nonsensical that it took Mahiru completely off guard. The shock of it was enough for Mahiru to finally pull her eyes away from the bodies, looking back towards Junko instead.

“W-What?” she blurted out, brain still halfway through trying to process the request.

“You heard me. Take a photo,” Junko repeated. Her expression had gone steely now, and her commanding tone made it clear that this wasn’t a request, or a suggestion. It was an order.

“Why…?”

“Because I told you to.” That was the only explanation Junko offered, and she jabbed a finger towards one of the bodies as she spoke. “Now do it.”

Mahiru remained frozen for another moment before her hands started to move, almost of their own accord. She was confused, and disgusted, and above all terrified. She didn’t understand Junko’s request, but she was scared enough to go along with it. Twisting off the lens cap Mahiru stepped close to one of the bodies, raising the camera up to her eye with shaking hands. Even in a moment like this the part of her brain that was so strongly trained in photography kicked in, and she found herself taking a moment to properly frame the shot before clicking the shutter.

“Good,” Junko said, giving an approving nod at the sound. “Now another one.”

“Why…” Mahiru managed to ask, voice soft and timid compared to its usual self. “Why are you making me do this?”

“Making you?” Junko replied, shaking her head as she walked over towards Mahiru, tossing an arm around the trembling photographer’s shoulders once again. “I’m not  _ making  _ you do anything. You could leave at any moment if you wanted to. But you’re not going to,” she added on, leaning in closer. “Because this, right here, right now? This is the least  boring you’ve ever been in your entire life. And we both know it.”


	25. Chapter 25

Hajime Hinata sat rigid in the chair, hands folded neatly in his lap, painfully aware of how stiff the suit he was wearing for this meeting was. He was sitting in the headmaster’s office, and staring back at him from across the desk was Jin Kirigiri himself. An uneasy silence hung between them after the last thing Hajime had said. He could feel the sweat starting to bead on his forehead, but he didn’t want to draw even more attention to it by reaching up to wipe it away. It had been quiet for at least ten seconds, and Hajime could hear ever quiet tick from the clock mounted on the wall, counting the time as this silence only got longer and more uncomfortable. But finally, Jin spoke.

“How did you hear about the Kamukura Project? Students aren’t supposed to know about that.” Hell, even most of the faculty at Hope’s Peak weren’t supposed to know about it. It was a closely guarded secret, given the potential legal and ethical ramifications of it. If the word had gotten out, to the point where a random student from the Reserve Course was kicking down his door wanting to talk about it… That wasn’t a good thing.

“It’s… Hard to explain,” Hajime admitted, breaking eye contact with the headmaster to look down at his own hands. Even he realized that the story sounded a bit unbelievable. “I came back from my classes one day and there was a file about it waiting for me inside my room. I don’t know who it was from, or how they got into my room in the first place. At first I thought it was a prank, and I honestly wasn’t even sure until I came here. But judging from your reaction just now, I guess it’s real after all.” Jin bit down on the inside of his cheek when he heard that, realizing that he had worked himself into a bit of a hole by admitting to anything. Always play dumb. That was a lesson he should have learned by now.

“It’s more of a concept at this point than anything else,” Jin said, after another few moments of silence. “We don’t know if it’s going to work. We don’t even know if what we’re attempting to do is possible.”

“I know,” Hajime replied. “I read the entire file. But if you’re ever going to figure out whether this project works or not you’re going to need a test subject. I’m volunteering to be that subject.” He was fully aware of the gravity of the decision he was making right now, but he had had more than enough time to think this over. He had made up his mind, and now that he was sitting here in front of the headmaster, it was too late for him to back down.

“Why do you want to volunteer yourself for something like this?” It was the question that Hajime had known would be coming sooner or later, and he had spent a lot of time thinking of a good answer to it. One that didn’t sound as shallow or as selfish as just admitting that he wanted to be something more than a Reserve Course student, that he wanted to be something special.

“Because I want to know if it’s possible just as much as the rest of you do,” was the answer he ended up going with. “Ever since I read that file I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, about if such a thing could really be done. And if I have to volunteer myself in order to find an answer, that’s something I’m willing to do.” Yet again his words were met with a long silence. There had been quite a few silences during this meeting, and it almost felt like the two of them had spent as much time staring at each other uncomfortably as they had actually talking. Jin’s eyes narrowed as he looked Hajime up and down, trying to read the boy’s expression, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. That reasoning seemed… Too altruistic, honestly. He didn’t really buy into it.

“You can be honest with me,” he eventually said, propping his elbows up on the desk and folding his hands in front of his chin. “What’s the real reason you want to go through with this?” Hajime visible tensed when he was called out on his bluff, and it only made him realize what a terrible liar he was.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that the students in the Reserve Course aren’t given the same opportunities that the Ultimates are,” Hajime replied, trying to pick his words cautiously so as to not sound overly critical of Hope’s Peak in front of its headmaster. “Maybe that’s to be expected. Given that we don’t possess the same talents they do, it wouldn’t be realistic to expect us to achieve the same things as them. But I’m tired of that. I’m tired of being treated like a second-class student here. So if there’s a chance for me to rise up above that, to become a person who actually has talent…”

“I understand,” Jin replied, cutting Hajime off before he could finish the thought. Frankly, that was the sort of answer that he had expected to hear. He was fully aware of how the Reserve Course students were seen at Hope’s Peak. They were a source of income, and little more. “I’ll pass your interest along to the researchers heading up the project. They’ll discuss your candidacy further.” Hajime gave a small nod in response to that, knowing that this was probably as much as he could expect from this meeting. It was unlikely that they were going to sign him up for the project immediately. Something like this would take serious consideration.

“Thank you,” he said, bowing halfway as he stood up from his chair. “I look forward to hearing back from you.”

“Yes,” Jin agreed. “We’ll be in touch.”


	26. Chapter 26

Fyuhiko’s hands were shaking as he looked down at the envelope he was gripping. It was a standard manila envelope, with a metal clasp holding it shut, although he had already pried that open. It had been slid under his door while he was out, and he had found it upon returning to his room. There was no indication of who it was from, but his full name had been carefully written across it in pen, making it clear that it really was intended for him.

Being a member of a massive yakuza family, this sort of thing wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him. He found these sorts of anonymous deliveries more often than he would care to admit. Sometimes they were bribes or contracts, while other times they were threats. The threats were typically empty, promises of violence against him or other members of his family that he knew nobody would ever dare to follow through on. Especially not after what had happened to the last girl who had dared to fuck with the Kuzuryuu clan.

This envelope, though… This was something different entirely. When he had opened the envelope he had found a collection of polaroid photos staring back at him, and they made his stomach churn. Each photo was of a different corpse- that alone wouldn’t have been enough to shake him, though. He had seen enough death that a few pictures of bodies wouldn’t disturb him. The problem here was that he recognized each and every one of these bodies. They were all people that he had killed.

It wasn’t just the photos that had him nervous, either. Underneath each of the pictures, a message had been scribbled into the white space of the polaroid. It was mostly the same few phrases, over and over again. “I know what you did.” “I know your secret.” “You can’t hide.” The other threats he had received in the past, they had all been empty. He had been able to write them off as nothing more than hot air from someone who was trying to intimidate him. But this… This person actually knew something, something he didn’t want to have get out. And that had him genuinely scared.

He started to wrack his brain to figure out who this could be from, although it didn’t take long to figure it out, or at least to know where he should start asking. There was only one other person who knew about what he had done, after all, and she seemed entirely crazy enough to do something like this. He didn’t know how she would have been involved in this, or why, or whether she had told anyone else, but he intended to find out. Walking over to his desk Fuyuhiko tossed the envelope and the photos down onto it, digging his phone out of his pocket and dialing Junko’s number. Each time it rang he grew increasingly frustrated, and it seemed like she wasn’t going to pick up at all, until she finally did on the last tone.

“Well well,” the voice came from the other end, sounding mildly amused by something. “You’re actually the one calling me for a change. That doesn’t normally happen. Do you need something, Kuzuryuu-senpai?”

“Cut the crap,” Fuyuhiko growled back, having absolutely no patience for Junko’s usual style of bullshittery. “The photos in my room. Tell me what you know. Now.”

“Photos in your room?” Junko asked, sounding genuinely confused by the question. Then again, she was good at faking emotion. It was nearly impossible to tell what was real and what wasn’t with her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you just called me because someone nicked your porn stash-”

“I’m serious!” Fuyuhiko snapped. “These photos of the bodies! They were in my room when I got back today!" There were a few seconds of silence on the other end after he said that, Junko apparently taking a moment to think over what Fuyuhiko had just said to her.

“Bodies?” she repeated. “You mean the people that you’ve been killing?”

“Don’t say it like that!” Fuyuhiko hissed.

“Relax. Do you really think the government’s going to wiretap a couple of high school kids? Besides, it sounds like your secrets already out. Not much to hide at this point.”

“...You’re saying you didn’t have anything to do with this?” Fuyuhiko asked. He wasn’t sure that he believed that for a single second, but that was certainly how Junko was making this sound at the moment. And if that really were the case, this situation was starting to look even worse than he had initially thought. The fact that somebody could have discovered this without her intervention…

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Junko replied. “But I don’t think it’s very hard to figure out who is responsible, is it?”

“Huh?” Fuyuhiko grunted. “What the hell are you talking about?” There was a small groan on the other end of the line before Junko continued speaking.

“Really? Come on Kuzuryuu-san, I know you’re not this stupid. Don’t make me spell it out for you. Who do we know that loves cameras and would totally have a reason to threaten you like this?”

“Koziumi wouldn’t be that stupid,” he stated firmly. “Not after what happened to her last time.”

“She might not be stupid enough to charge you with baseball bat again and expect it to work,” Junko replied. “But maybe she finally got smart enough to come at you a different way. A more resourceful way.”

“She’s not an idiot!” Fuyuhiko snapped again. “She learned her lesson last time!”

“Wow, struck a nerve there, huh?” Junko teased. “If I didn’t know any better I would think you were into her or something. Of course, I know who you’re _really_ gunning for. Anyway, I’ve got some other shit I need to go deal with. So unless you’re actually going to listen to my theories don’t bug me again.” With that, before Fuyuhiko had the chance to say anything else, she had hung up. He stood there silently for a few moments, listening to the dialtone on his phone before frustratedly shoving it back into his pocket. He still wasn’t sure that he believed this was Mahiru’s doing, and accepting that answer raised as many new questions as it solved. How had she discovered the bodies in the first place? Had Junko really not been involved at all? And why would she actually confront him about this after what had happened to her last time? it all seemed like such a terrible idea on her part. But at the same time… Was there really any other possibility?


	27. Chapter 27

“Why do you even like this stuff in the first place? It’s all gross and creepy.”

“I-It’s not gross. I think it’s f-fascinating…”

“It’s disgusting! But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that someone as gross as you would be into that sort of thing.” Hiyoko and Mikan’s bickering was nothing new, although it was really less bickering and more Mikan weathering the torrent of insults that Mikan constantly threw her way. The medical textbook she had been studying seemed to be the subject of Hiyoko’s mockery this time. While Mikan enjoyed intently studying the various diagrams of the organs in the human body, Hiyoko found such a thing absolutely repulsive. What was different from normal, though, was the fact that Mahiru was just sitting there listening to this entire conversation without bothering to involve herself. Normally, when Hiyoko started bullying Mikan like this in front of her, she would step in and try to do something about it. Right now, though, she was just sitting there at her desk, not even seeming to pay any attention.

“Hey, big sis!” Hiyoko huffed, waving a hand in front of Mahiru’s face to snap her out of her little trance. Mahiru practically seemed to jump out of her seat at that point, a little bit startled by the sudden sound and motion. “Why do you keep spacing out? We’re trying to talk to you, you know.”

“Sorry,” Mahiru replied, sighing and shaking her head at the question. “I just… Have a lot on my mind right now, I guess.” Hardly the first time that she and Hiyoko had had this exact conversation. Mahiru had been like this ever since Sato’s death. That alone had given her a lot to think about, a lot to weigh down on her. But since everything that had happened with Junko, and with Fuyuhiko, it had only been getting worse. She barely even seemed able to focus on her normal life anymore. School, classes, even her friends, they had all become secondary to her now.

“Well pay attention!” Hiyoko demanded. “Look at what Tsumiki’s doing this time! She’s got some creepy book filled with all sorts of pictures of guts and stuff.” The distaste was obvious in Hiyoko’s voice as she said that, and she scrunched her face up in disgust to emphasize her point.

“It’s j-just a medical t-textbook…” Mikan protested, shrinking down in her seat a little bit. Her voice was even quieter than it usually would have been, and even shakier than normal.

“You know this is the kind of thing serial killers read. I’ll bet you get off to this kind of stuff,” Hiyoko taunted. “I’ll bet you have some kind of weird fetish for blood and organs and dead bodies.”

“I’m j-j-just trying to st-tudy my t-t-talent…” Mikan stammered out, growing increasingly upset as more and more insults were launched towards her. Tears were forming in her eyes by this point, and she was shaking, although that didn’t really mean much. It generally wasn’t that hard to push Mikan towards a breakdown.

“Yeah right!” Hiyoko replied. “I bet you’re studying how to kill someone right now! It’s probably not even safe to let you have this.” As she spoke she reached down, trying to snatch the textbook away from Mikan. Mikan held onto it tightly as well, and the end result was a page being torn straight out of the inside of the book, ripped away into Hiyoko’s hands.

“Hiyoko-chan…” Mahiru sighed, figuring that it was finally time to get involved in the situation, even as distant as she was feeling at the moment. That quickly proved to not be necessary, though.

“ENOUGH!” Both Mahiru and Hiyoko were shocked into silence at that point, eyes wide and locked onto Mikan. The nurse had slammed her hands against her desk and stood up from her chair, and now she was screaming at the top of her lungs, in a voice far louder than anything either of the other two girls had ever heard from her before. “I’m done putting up with your shit! You think that just because you’re some flat-chested baby-faced twelve year old lookalike that it’s cute or funny when you say horrible shit to people but it’s _not!_ If you were actually capable of growing a pair of breasts everyone would see right through your bratty little kid act and realize what a bitch you actually are! I’m sick and tired of letting you push me around! I'm sick of watching everyone let you get away with everything just because you try to act cute about it! I'm sick of looking at your ugly, immature, childish face! You should already have proof that I’m not a serial kill because if I was you would be the first one dead!”

The room was entirely silent after that. Mahiru didn’t know how to respond to such an uncharacteristic outburst from Mikan, and frankly, Hiyoko didn’t either. All three of them were completely quiet, Mahiru and Hiyoko both staring at Mikan while Mikan started back at Hiyoko. And when the silence was finally broken, it was Mikan once again.

“F-Forgive me!” she blurted out, quickly returning to her normal self now that the moment of outrage had passed. She pressed her arms to her sides, bowing to Hiyoko over her desk. Her eyes shut tightly, but that still didn’t stop the tears from spilling over. “I d-didn’t mean any of that! I’m s-s-sorry! Please, forgive me!”

“Like hell I’m gonna forgive you!” Hiyoko replied. This was the Mikan that she was used to. When the nurse had started screaming and talking back to her she had been stunned, and she hadn’t known how to react. But now that Mikan was being her usual self again, Hiyoko felt comfortable with the situation. She knew how to respond to this. “You basically just threatened to kill me! You think I’m seriously gonna-”

“ _Hiyoko._ ” This time it was Mahiru’s chance to cut the dancer off, and she accompanied the name with a stern glare in the other girl’s direction. Right now, though, Hiyoko wasn’t having any of it.

“You heard what she just said to me, didn’t you??” she protested. “Are you seriously expecting me to just tolerate all of that?”

“You’ve been bullying her since the day you met her. Are you really surprised that she got fed up with it eventually?” Mahiru was doing her best to keep her tone stern at this point, but honestly, it was difficult. Not just because Hiyoko was her friend, but because she was so god damn exhausted and fed up with everything that had been happening in her life recently. This was the last thing that she wanted to be dealing with at the moment.

“Are you _actually_ taking her side on this?” Hiyoko asked, in apparent disbelief. “She just said she wants to kill me! How can you been defending her??”

“I-I didn’t m-mean-”

“Shut up! This isn’t about you!” Hiyoko spat, giving Mikan her attention for a fraction of a moment before looking back at Mahiru again.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about!” Mahiru replied, the frustration that she was feeling starting to bleed through into her voice, and in the exasperated way she gestured towards Mikan. “You can’t talk to her like that all the time and then get angry when she finally stands up for herself!”

“I can’t believe you!” Hiyoko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re supposed to be my friend! Good to know I can count on your to have my back!” She turned around after that, stomping her way out of the room, and making a point to do it as loudly as possible.

“Hiyoko!” Mahiru called out after her, but it was already too late at that point. Hiyoko disappeared through the door, and Mahiru let out a long sigh, burying her face into her hands and sinking down further in her chair.

“P-Please forgive m-me…” Mikan stammered out, still standing there by her desk, unsure of what to do with herself everything that had just happened. “I d-didn’t mean to cause you two to f-fight…”

“It’s not your fault.” Even though Mahiru didn’t necessarily agree with everything that Mikan had just shouted, she could understand where it was coming from. She couldn’t blame Mikan for finally snapping after putting up with Hiyoko’s abuse for so long.

“I-I shouldn’t have said all those things…” she whimpered out apologetically. Now that all of the pent up anger she had been holding in had finally been let out, it seemed that she was even more timid than she typically was. “I know S-Saionji-san doesn’t r-really mean those things a-anyway…”

“It’s alright,” Mahiru repeated. “Hiyoko-chan just… Gets like this sometimes. She can be difficult. She’ll be fine by tomorrow, though.” At least, Mahiru hoped that was true. The last thing she needed was even more drama in her life right now. But that was starting to look unavoidable.


	28. Chapter 28

Hiyoko had barely made it three steps out of the classroom before she started to break down. A minute ago she had been angry, and that had helped to keep her from losing it. But after storming out of the classroom that anger had started to subside, and now she was just left with a weird, sickening feeling as she thought about the fact that Mahiru had actually sided with Mikan over her.

Fuck. Before she knew it she was crying. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Fake crying to get what she wanted out of people was one thing, but these were actual, real tears. She didn’t want anyone to see her when she was breaking down like this, so she made a beeline for the bathroom, figuring that would be a good place to shut herself away until she was able to pull herself together again. What she wasn’t counting on was another girl already being in there when she threw the bathroom door open.

Junko was standing in front of the mirror, leaning in close and doing a small touch up on her makeup. When the door opened her head whipped around to face Hiyoko, and her expression was blank for just a moment before lighting up.

“Hey! You’re Koizumi-san’s friend, right?” she asked, thinking back to their previous encounter. Honest to god, she hadn’t even planned for this. How could she have? Sometimes life just seemed to drop opportunity right into her lap, and she was certainly going to take it.

“Get out of my way!” Hiyoko replied, already booking it towards one of the stalls so she could lock herself in. It was already pretty obvious that she had been crying, and she didn’t need it to become even more apparent. But Junko wasn’t going to let her prey slip away that easily.

“Woah, woah, hold up,” the model said, moving to come between Hiyoko and the stall door so that the other girl might actually be forced to talk to her. “Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“I said move!” Hiyoko demanded, throwing herself against Junko to try to push past her. But while Junko might have been scrawny and light, Hiyoko weighed even less. She found herself unsuccessful in her attempts, and eventually she was forced to just step back, looking up at Junko with the angriest glare she could muster through her tears.

“Hey, c’mon,” Junko said, putting a sympathetic frown on her face. Entirely fake, but convincing nonetheless. “Any friend of Koizumi-san’s is a friend of mine. What’s going on?”

“As if I would actually talk about this to someone like you,” Hiyoko grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from Junko. Junko didn’t expect her to be a simple one to crack, and she hadn’t been prepared for this conversation either, but that was alright. She could think on her feet. And besides, this was so much less boring than planning everything out ages ahead of time.

“Is everything alright with her?” Junko asked, still keeping herself between Hiyoko and the bathroom stall, just in case. “I know things were sorta… Tough, between you two the last time we talked.”

“I told you I’m not talking about this!” Hiyoko repeated, raising her voice up even louder. At least frustration was starting to take over again, making it easier for her hold back her tears.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Junko sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m not gonna force it out of you.” With that said she stepped away from the stall, walking over to sink and looking into the mirror once again. It was a little test, on her part, and it was one that Hiyoko failed. She could have-  _ should  _ have- just gone into the stall like she had initially wanted to. But she didn’t. She stayed standing there, and while Junko pretended to be looking at herself in the mirror, her attention was really on the other girl the whole time.  She let the silence hang between them for a few seconds, simply waiting to see what, if anything, Hiyoko was going to do, but it quickly became clear that the answer to that was “nothing.” So, with her eyelid stretched off to the side so that she could reapply her eyeliner, Junko decided to speak again.

“Do you ever wear makeup?” she asked. Even though she wasn’t looking directly at her Junko could still see Hiyoko’s reaction through the mirror, and it was easy to tell that she had been a little bit surprised by the question.

“Sometimes for performances and stuff,” she replied, after a brief silence. She stole a quick glance towards Junko before realizing that the model could still see her in the mirror, immediately looking away again. “Not usually, though. It feels gross and weird on my skin.”

“That probably just means you’re using the cheap shit. If you pay for quality that’s not a problem. Like the stuff I use? Don’t even notice it’s there.” The entire time Junko was speaking she kept working on her face as well, making tiny little adjustments here and there. It seemed like it was second nature to her by this point.

“Well… It’s not my style anyway,” Hiyoko insisted. “I wouldn’t wanna end up looking like a dumb gyaru or something.”

“You don’t have to go totally over the top with it like that, you know,” came Junko’s response. “There’s a lot of subtler stuff you can do with foundation and contouring and all that. Make your complexion look better, change your facial shape, make yourself look younger or older, etcetera etcetera.”

“I know how makeup works!” Hiyoko huffed. “I just said I don’t like it. I’m not an idiot though.”

“Alright, alright,” Junko laughed in response. “I never said that you were. But if you ever wanna see what some makeup can do to that cute face of yours just let me know,” she added on, flashing a wink at Hiyoko through the mirror. That seemed to catch Hiyoko a little off guard, and she scrunched her shoulders up when she heard the comment, as if she were trying to shrink down into herself.

“You still haven’t even told me your name, you know,” Hiyoko pointed out, and this time it was Junko’s turn to be caught off guard. Or at the very least, to act caught off guard. As with always, it was nearly impossible to tell what was real.

“You mean you don’t recognize me?” Junko asked, setting her makeup down on the edge of the sink and turning to face Hiyoko.

“Should I?”

“Nah, I guess not. It’s actually kind of refreshing that you don’t. Junko Enoshima,” she said, stepping forward and extending a hand out towards Hiyoko. Hiyoko seemed wary for a moment, simply looking back at Junko’s hand for a few seconds before finally reaching out to give a small, hesitant shake.

“Hiyoko Saionji,” she replied. “How do you know Mahiru anyway?”

“Huh? Well that’s… A little complicated.” Junko hadn’t had quite enough time to come up with a good lie for this situation, and once again she was being forced to come up with something on the spot. “We just sorta ran into each other and got to talking one day. I’m a model and she’s a photographer, so it was a match made in heaven,” Junko chuckled, before suddenly assuming a serious expression once more. “So are you ready to tell me why you ran in here crying yet?”

“Jeez, do you ever just let people have their privacy?” Hiyoko huffed, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms again. “We got in a fight. That’s all you need to know.” Upon hearing about the fight Junko’s neutral expression immediately twisted down into a frown.

“Did it have anything to do with…?” she asked, not quite sure exactly how to phrase it. Whether Hiyoko understood or not didn’t seem to matter, though, and her reaction probably would have been the same either way.

“I told you I didn’t wanna talk about this!” she insisted. “So just drop it!”

“Sorry, you’re right,” Junko sighed. “It’s not any of my business.” She stepped back after that, going over to the sink and grabbing up all the makeup she had left there, scooping it into a purse that she had put on the floor. “But like I said, any friend of Koizumi-san’s is a friend of mine. So if you ever just need to, like, vent or anything, come find me. Later, Saionji-senpai!” With that she was slipping back out of the bathroom, leaving Hiyoko standing there on her own. Had she just made a new friend? Well… At least she wasn’t crying anymore.


	29. Chapter 29

Mahiru spent a while sitting around in the classroom after Hiyoko had left, mostly talking to Mikan and trying to make her feel better about everything that had just happened. Eventually Mikan seemed as if she was at least a little bit less upset, and Mahiru noticed that it was starting to get late. The two of them left the classroom, going their separate ways as Mahiru began to make her way back towards her dorm room.

“Koizumi!” Mahiru was halfway across the courtyard when she heard that voice coming from behind her, and immediately she froze in her tracks. She didn’t even have to turn around to know that it was Fuyuhiko, but doing so confirmed that suspicion. And once again, he wasn’t alone. Peko was standing there behind him, staring at them over Fuyuhiko’s shoulder with a steely, emotionless gaze.

“What do you want?” Mahiru asked. Once again, she was trying her hardest to keep her own expression steady, to not show any fear in front of Fuyuhiko, but it was hard. After what he had done to her, pretending that she wasn’t scared of him was no small feat.

“Pretty sure you already know damn fuckin’ well what I want!” Fuyuhiko snapped. “Those photos I found in my room. I know you’re the one who left them there!” A confused expression crossed over Marhiu’s face at that point, and she furrowed her brows together, seeming unsure of what Fuyuhiko was talking about.

“I’m not the only person in the world with a camera, you know,” she pointed out. “What photos are you even talking about?”

“Stop playing dumb!” he spat back. “The photos you slipped under my door! Of all the bodies! All the people I killed!”

“Young master-” Peko said, realizing that saying such a thing was a misstep. At that point, though, it was already too late. Mahiru had heard, and… A pleased, coy smile was spreading over her face.

“So it really was you,” she stated. “Junko-chan didn’t say it outright, but I had a feeling. Now I know for sure.” Fuyuhiko was momentarily taken aback when he heard that- partly by the realization that he had just incriminated himself, and partly by the discovery that Junko was somehow involved in this.

“Enoshima?” he asked, seeming to be in a state of disbelief. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath. “Now I’ve got two people to take care of. You should’ve known better than to fuck with me after what happened to you last time. Peko?” At the command Peko reached to her back, beginning to pull her shinai from its case. Before she had the chance to follow through, though, another voice cut her off.

“Woah, woah, what’s going on over here? I’m not about to have to watch my two favorite senpais duke it out with each other, am I?” All three heads turned at the sound of Junko’s voice and watched the model approach, her sister trailing close behind her- just in case.

“What the hell are you doing here??” Fuyuhiko demanded, twisting around to face her and jabbing a finger in Junko’s direction. “You’ve got a lot to answer for!”

“So do you,” Junko replied, coming up beside Mahiru and putting her arm around the photographer’s shoulders. “For starters, why you were about to have your hired sword over there kill my little photo protege?” Mahiru tensed up when she felt Junko’s arm around her, not entirely comfortable with the touch. Yet at the same time, it was sort of reassuring to have Junko standing there, making a declaration of protection. She wouldn’t quite say that she trusted Junko, but… She felt something close.

“You told me you didn’t have anything to do with the photos!” Fuyuhiko reminded Junko. “And now Koizumi’s telling me you’re the one who showed them to her in the first place!”

“Well whaddyou know?” Junko asked, flashing a grin and holding up a peace sign with her free hand. “I guess I’m a liar. Who saw this one coming?”

“Wait…” Mahiru said, starting to piece together a part of the story that she wasn’t familiar with yet. “How do you two know each other?”

“Huh?” Junko asked, tilting her head when she heard the question. She touched a finger to her chin, seeming to think it over for a moment before acting like she had just found the answer. “Oh! You mean nobody’s told you yet? It’s a really funny story! Kuzuryuu-senpai, would you mind telling it?”

“Me?” Fuyuhiko asked, still thrown off by just how  _ casual  _ Junko seemed about this entire situation. “I’m not doing anything for you anymore! Tell it yourself!”

“Aw, c’mon,” Junko said, putting a disappointed pout on her face. “I like the way you tell it.” Peko and Mukuro were, once again, both standing at the ready at this point, both prepared to jump in at a moment’s notice, should their talents be required. It made the situation all that much more tense, and the only person who didn’t seem to feel the effect of that was Junko herself.

“Fuckin’...Fine,” Fuyuhiko growled. “Enoshima’s the one who ratted your reserve course friend out to me. Told me she’s the one who killed my sister.”

“What??” Mahiru blurted out, immediately shoving Junko away and jumping backwards. “You did what??”

“Oof. Struck a nerve with that one, huh?” Junko took a moment to straighten out her clothing as she spoke, adjusting the spots where Mahiru had ruffled it.

“You’re the reason my best friend is dead!” Mahiru shouted. “Why the hell would you do that?? You might as well have killed her yourself!”

“Calm down,” Junko said, expression hardening as she stared back at Mahiru. “Be honest. I basically did you a favor.”

“How the hell can you say something like that??” Mahiru was nearly screaming by this point, her face was turning red from shouting, tears were pricking at her eyes. “You’re the reason she’s dead! And then you- You acted sorry for me! You tried to comfort me! But this was your fault all along!”

“Have you been helping both of us this whole time??” Fuyuhiko cut in. “Playing both sides?”

“Kuzuryuu-san, please,” Junko replied, raising a single finger to silence him without ever looking away from Mahiru. “I’m in the middle of something. To answer your question, though, yes. Of course I have.” She stated that like it was just a simple face, like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Mahiru didn’t seem to see it that way though.

“Why??” she demanded. “Why would you do something like this??  _ How  _ could you do something like this?? I trusted you!”

“What about my sister??” Fuyuhiko added on. “Were you responsible for that too? Are you the reason that crazy bitch killed her??”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Junko scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the credit you’re giving me, but I’m not behind every single little thing that happens at this school. Sometimes things just take care of themselves on their own.”

“Take care of themselves?” Fuyuhiko repeated. “You bitch! How dare you talk about my sister that way?? You fucking used me!”

“I  _ helped _ you,” Junko corrected. “I’m not the one who killed your sister. But I am the one who helped you recover from it.”

“By killing my best friend!” Mahiru screamed.

“Enough of this bullshit!” Fuyuhiko snapped. “You fucked with the wrong family! Peko!” Peko gave a brief nod of acknowledgement and then, before anything else could be said, launched herself down the path towards Junko, wrenching her shinai from her back. She rushed the model, but before she could reach her target, Mukuro was standing in her way, her own combat knife drawn and ready. As the two weapons clashed the bamboo of Peko’s training sword splintered, revealing the glint of metal underneath.

“Oooh, look at that!” Junko chimed in, watching the fight unfold with a delighted expression on her face. “Were you hiding a real blade in there this whole time? Impressive! That’s still not gonna be enough to save you though. Fighting is like, the one thing my idiot sister is actually good at.”

What happened next was a blur, moving too fast for any of the observers to properly see. Peko and Mukuro both unlocked their weapons from each other, taking a half-step backwards before launching into each other once again. The ensuing battle was nothing more than a blur of vaguely human shapes, punctuated by the sound of metal clashing against metal, but the aftermath was clear. As the battle subsided the two girls came to a stop, standing about five feet apart, both facing each other. They were stock still for a long moment before Peko collapsed to her knees, dropping her blade and letting it clatter to the ground beside her.

“Peko!” Fuyuhiko shouted, rushing over to crouch down beside her. “Peko, are you alright??”

“I… I’m sorry, young master. I’ve failed you…” Peko was clutching her stomach, and when Fuyuhiko looked down it was easy to see why. Driven into her abdomen all the way up to the hilt was the knife that Mukuro had been wielding. Her shirt was already stained deep red with the blood that was seeping out from the wound.

“I avoided any vital organs,” Mukuro stated, speaking in a perfectly level, completely calm voice, despite what she had just done. “She’s incapacitated, but she’ll survive as long as you get her proper medical attention.”

“Remember that,” Junko chimed in, glaring at Fuyuhiko from behind her sister. “You picked this fight. And Mukuro-chan could’ve torn your little tool to shreds if I let her. So next time you think I’ve never done anything for you, think twice.”

“None of this would even be happening if it weren’t for you in the first place!” Fuyuhiko shouted, causing Junko to step forward, walking past her sister and approaching him and Peko. She squatted down, bringing herself to their level, staring straight into Fuyuhiko's eyes.

“If it weren’t for me you'd still be sitting around moping over the death of your sister,” she stated. “If it weren’t for me, you never would have discovered the sweet taste of despair. Do you feel it right now?” she asked, gesturing towards Peko. “Watching her bleed out in your arms? Knowing she’s not the stalwart, unstoppable protector you always thought she was? I don’t know if she’s even capable of feeling anything for herself or if she just runs around doing whatever you tell her, but if she is, I’ll bet she’s probably feeling some pretty serious despair for failing you right now too. Now, if I were you, I’d stop running your mouth and start getting her some help. Unless you actually  _ want  _ to feel the despair of losing her. But somehow I don't think you're quite that far along yet.”

Fuyuhiko, for once in his life, didn’t know how to respond to that. Normally he was quick to bark out one thing or another, even if it was just an uncreative insult. But in this moment, he was completely silent. His mouth opened, but no words came out, and before he could find them Junko was standing back up, turning to return her attention to Mahiru.

“As for you…” she said.

“What else could you possibly have to say to me?” Mahiru spat back, still fighting to speak through her tears. “You’re the reason my best friend is dead! Unless you have some way to bring her back don’t even bother!”

“What? No, you’ve got it all wrong,” Junko chuckled. “That’s the exact opposite of what I was about to say. Sure, I might be the reason your friend is dead. But really? I did you a favor," she repeated.

“How can you say that??” Mahiru snapped.

“Be honest with yourself,” Junko insisted. “You keep calling her your best friend, but was she really? Did you actually like spending time around her? Or were you just afraid of her?”

“What are you-”

“She was insane,” Junko insisted. “Insane enough to go out and kill someone, and I didn’t even have anything to do with that.”

“She was just trying to protect me!” Mahiru protested. “She was looking out for me!”

“Trying to protect you by killing someone who, what, said a couple of mean things about you? Did Natsumi-san ever even lay a single finger on you?”

“I… She…” Mahiru stammered, but Junko just continued speaking.

“Sato-san was crazy. She was unstable, unpredictable, violent, and I think on some level you always knew that. You always knew something like this would happen eventually. Did you stay friends with her because you wanted to? Or because you were worried about what might happen if you stopped?”

“You have no right to be talking about her that way…” Mahiru said softly. “I loved her…”

“Listen to me,” Junko replied, reaching out and placing her hands on Mahiru’s shoulders. “I’m just trying to help you. I need you to understand that. I’m helping you become something other than the boring girl who just sits around taking photos of plants all day long. That’s not what you want, is it?”

“This isn’t what I wanted either…” Mahiru protested, although the determination behind her statements seemed to be waning each time she spoke.

“Not yet,” Junko agreed. “But you’re still learning. Sooner or later, you’ll come to love this despair,” she whispered, leaning in next to Mahiru’s ear to say those last few words before patting her on the shoulder. “Now,” she went on, turning to walk away, “do me a favor and help Kuzuryuu-san get Pekoyama-san some help, alright? You two try to play nice while I’m gone!” And just like that, as if nothing had ever happened, she began to walk back down the path. Mukuro quickly followed after her, leaving the three students of Class 77 standing there, each and every one of them utterly confused by what had just unfolded.


	30. Chapter 30

“W-What h-happened to her??”

“Shh! Keep your fuckin’ voice down!” Fuyuhiko hissed back. Dragging a gravely wounded Peko through the halls late at night had already threatened to grab more attention than he would have liked. Having Mikan shout for the entire school to hear would only make that worse. “We don’t have time for me to explain this shit to you!” he added on. “Fix her up! Now!”

“Please…” Mahiru added on, tone far more gentle than the demands Fuyuhiko was making. She knew Mikan well enough to know that shouting at her like that wasn’t generally the best way to get her to do something. It was more likely to cause her a breakdown than anything else.

“B-Bring her inside,” Mikan stammered out, stepping away from the door so that Mahiru and Fuyuhiko would be able to bring Peko in. Immediately the nurse rushed into the bathroom where she kept most of her supplies, knowing that she was probably about to get a fair bit of use out of all of them. Even though she hadn’t fully studied the injury yet, a quick glimpse had been enough for her to be able to tell that it looked like some sort of stab wound. Stitches were likely to be necessary. The biggest question of all, though, was why this kept happening. First Mahiru’s head injury, then Akane’s leg, and now this? It was quickly becoming a harrowing trend, and Mikan didn’t want to think of what might happen if it kept up. While she didn’t have the details, Mikan was already certain that Junko was involved in this in some way. She needed to talk to her. The only question was if she would actually be able to find the courage to do so.

Peko was barely even conscious at this point, thanks to all of the blood she had lost, and she was just barely keeping herself awake as Fuyuhiko and Mahiru dragged her over towards Mikan’s bed to lay her down across it. Her skin was pale, paler than usual, and her head kept drooping and snapping back up, a clear sign that she was desperately fighting to hold on to her consciousness.

“You’re gonna be alright, Peko,” Fuyuhiko insisted as she was laid down across the bed, trying to ignore the massive bloodstain that had soaked into her shirt by this point. “Tsumiki’s gonna take care of you. You’re gonna be fine.”

“I’m… I’m s-sorry… bocchan…” Peko murmured out, eyes focusing in the vague direction of Fuyuhiko. The words caused the young yakuza to grit his teeth together in frustration, quickly snapping back at her.

“Shut the hell up! You shouldn’t even be talking right now!” he insisted. “Save your energy!”

“Is this really the time to be yelling at her?” Mahiru asked, shooting a sideways glare at Fuyuhiko while she stood over the bed as well.

“How ‘bout you mind your own fucking business?” Fuyuhiko growled back. “What goes on between me and Peko doesn’t involve you.”

“Apparently it does,” Mahiru muttered back. She was still, understandably, bitter and conflicted about this situation. About helping the person who had murdered her best friend. About saving the life of the girl who had beaten her to within an inch of her life and left her for dead. She didn’t even understand her own mind at the moment, or why it was making her feel some sort of obligation to help Peko and Fuyuhiko. But… It seemed she just wasn’t the sort of person who could leave one of her classmates for dead. No matter what they had done to her to deserve it.

“O-Okay! I have everything I need!” Mikan said, scrambling back out of the bathroom a moment later with two different medical bags full of supplies. She was quick to rush over to the bed and set them down on the edge of it, taking one more brief glance over Peko’s body before speaking again. “I’ll have to r-remove her shirt to t-treat her injury, if that’s o-okay…” she stated sheepishly.

“What the hell?” Fuyuhiko blurted out, face immediately lighting up a vibrant shade of red. “Y-You can’t do that! That shit’s indecent!”

“Oh my god!” Mahiru cut in. “She’s  _ dying _ , Kuzuryuu!”

“I-It's okay, bocchan…” Peko murmured out. "Just... Look away...." That was a request that Fuyuhiko was more than happy to comply with. He let out a dramatic huff before pivoting on his feet, turning to face the wall instead. Peko reached down to begin unbuttoning her shirt, and with Mikan’s assistance they had it off in a matter of seconds. At that point Mikan was able to see the stomach-wound more clearly, and she bit down on her lip nervously as she realized just how bad it was. The fact that Peko was even still conscious after something like that was nothing short of astounding, and served as a testament to the girl’s will and strength.

“I… There’s n-not time to s-sedate her or provide anesthesia,” Mikan squeaked out, bowing her head apologetically, and earning another frustrated reaction from Fuyuhiko.

“I swear to god, if you hurt her-!” he started off, before being cut off by Mahiru again.

“Will you shut up??” she snapped. “Can you shut up for  _ two seconds _ and let Tsumiki-chan do her job??”

“The hell did you just say to me?” Fuyuhiko growled, twisting his head just far enough to see Mahiru without catching an unwanted glance at Peko’s exposed state out of the corner of his vision. “You’ve got a lot of fuckin’ nerve talking to me that way knowing what I could do to you!”

“And of course that’s more important to you!” Mahiru snapped back. “Of course you care more about keeping up this stupid tough guy act of yours than keeping one of our classmates safe! You won’t even let it drop long enough for Peko-chan to stop bleeding out! What the hell is wrong with you??”

"You don't have a single fuckin' clue what you're talking about” Fuyuhiko shouted in return, the implication that he didn't care about Peko striking a very powerful nerve with him. “That’s it, you’re fuckin’ dead!” He lunged forward, moving to grab onto Mahiru, but before he could, before anyone else in the room even knew what was happening, there was a flash of movement, and suddenly Peko was standing between them, arms stretched out to either side of her, putting distance between Mahiru and Fuyuhiko.

“P-Please, stop…” she managed to whisper out. Sweat was dripping down her forehead at the exertion, and her entire body was shaking violently as she stood between the two. Apparently that action had taken the last of whatever little strength she was running on, though, and a moment later her body finally gave out. She crumpled, legs buckling underneath her and sending her collapsing down to the floor.

“Peko!” Fuyuhiko cried out, immediately rushing to crouch beside her on the floor. Before he could even reach her, though, he was cut off by another surprise.

“GET OUT!” Fuyuhiko and Mahiru both were shocked to hear that noise, and they jumped slightly to see that it had in fact come from Mikan. The nurse was standing there with an enraged expression on her face, eyes wide, pupils narrow, nostrils flared, teeth gritting together. Her arm was outstretched, jabbing a finger towards the door. Mahiru had seen an outburst like this just earlier that day, at the time directed at Hiyoko. That alone had been scary. But now that it was directed at her, it was fucking terrifying.

“Get out!” she repeated. “I’m not going to lose a patient because the two of you can’t put aside your arguing and your fighting and your stupid fucking bickering even when our classmate is bleeding to death right in front of us! If your arguments are really more important than Pekoyama-san's life you can go have them somewhere else! But not in here! So GET! OUT! BOTH OF YOU!” Everything was quiet for a moment after that, and Mahiru was the first to speak up again.

“I’m sorry, Tsumiki-chan,” she said, hanging her head apologetically and beginning to walk towards the door. After another moment Fuyuhiko began to follow, locking eyes with Mikan on the way out.

“If you let anything happen to her-”

“ _ Out _ .” Mikan repeated, jabbing her finger towards the door again. Fuyuhiko kept his eyes on her for another moment before finally breaking his gaze, following Mahiru out of the room and into the hall. Now all he could do was put his faith in Mikan's abilities, and pray. He had already lost one of the most important people in his life. He couldn't bare to lose another.


	31. Chapter 31

The hallway outside Mikan’s room was quiet, and had been for quite a while. Mahiru and Fuyuhiko were sitting across from each other in silence, both avoiding looking directly at the other. Once again, Mahiru wasn’t even sure what she was doing there, but apparently her conscience wouldn’t let her leave until she knew that her classmate was okay. If she tried to go now, she would just spend the rest of the night worrying. She wanted to make sure that Peko was doing alright before she left.

“What are we gonna do about this?” Hearing Fuyuhiko speak up after staying quiet for so long caught Mahiru off guard, and there was a small moment of shock written on her face before her expression hardened up again.

“About what?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke to him. Just because she was worried about Peko didn’t mean that she had even come close to forgiving him for anything that he had done. She wasn’t about to act as if they were friends.

“About Enoshima. Isn’t that fuckin’ obvious?” Fuyuhiko huffed in response. “She played us both like a couple of idiots. I don’t know what the hell she’s planning, but I’m not letting her get away with it.” As much as Mahiru hated to admit it, Fuyuhiko had a point there. She didn’t know what Junko was planning either, but it had already resulted in Sato’s death, and in herself and Peko nearly ending up dead as well. They couldn’t just let that continue on. But knowing they had to stop her was a lot different from knowing how.

“What are _can_ we do?” Mahiru asked, vocalizing her concern. “We can’t even get near her, especially when she has her bodyguard around…”

“I know,” Fuyuhiko admitted, breaking his eyes away from Mahiru. Truth be told, he didn’t have any ideas either. Violence had always been his go-to answer in the past, but after what had happened to Peko, it seemed that it wouldn’t be so easy this time around.

“I still have the photos…” Mahiru started off, but Fuyuhiko was quick to shoot that idea down.

“The photos of all the people that  _ I  _ killed? I’m not letting you take me down just to bring her down too,” he warned. “Besides, we don’t even have any proof that she’s actually involved in that. If we start showing people those pictures it’s just gonna make us look suspicious instead.”

“Well that’s the closest thing we have to any sort of evidence against her,” Mahiru huffed.

“That just means we’ve gotta keep digging,” Fuyuhiko replied. “There’s no way she can be up to something like this and not have all sorts of dirt waiting for us to find it. We’ve just gotta figure out where it’s hiding.” That still left Mahiru with plenty of questions, in particular how they were going to find any of this alleged dirt on Junko without getting themselves into even more trouble in the process, but she didn’t have the chance to ask. Just as she opened her mouth to speak the door to the room opened, and Mikan poked her head out.

“I f-finished Pekoyama-san's stitches,” she said. Despite the fact that she had been overflowing with rage the last time she had seen Fuyuhiko and Mahiru, shouting at them and kicking them out of the room, she seemed to have calmed down considerably, and she was once again back to her normal self. “She sh-should be fine just as l-long as she doesn’t overexert herself,” Mikan added on.

“Can I see her?” Fuyuhiko asked. Almost immediately he was back on his feet, moving towards the door, and while he had technically phrased it as a question, his tone of voice and immediate action made it clear that he was going in there no matter what.

“She’s a-asleep right now,” Mikan said, stepping to the side to let Fuyuhiko pass. “Just d-don’t wake her. She needs her r-rest right now…” Mahiru hesitated for a moment, but the entire point of waiting around like this had been to make sure that Peko was alright. She felt like it would be stupid of her not to go in now, and so she stood up as well, following Fuyuhiko into the room.

Just as promised, Peko was laying there on the bed, eyes shut, breathing lightly. Mikan had done her the decency of covering her up with a blanket, both so that the wound wouldn’t be visible, and so that Fuyuhiko wouldn’t flip out upon seeing her in only a bra. While Mahiru didn’t have nearly the same closeness with Peko that Fuyuhiko did, and while she had even been given more than enough legitimate reasons to hate the swordswoman by this point, it was still difficult for her to see one of her own classmates in this condition. Especially when she knew that she had somehow been involved in it.

“Peko…” Even though Fuyuhiko knew that she couldn’t hear him at the moment, he found himself speaking to her anyway as he approached the bed, looking down on her sleeping face. Despite Mikan's promise that she would be alright, the signs of what she had been through were visibly written over her face. She was pale from the blood loss, and still covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She looked so frail and vulnerable in her current state. Fuyuhiko had never seen her like this before… And he never wanted to see her like this again either.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, reaching out and placing his hand on the edge of the bed as he spoke. “I’m sorry I let this happen. I’m sorry I let her do this to you. But I swear on the name of the entire Kuzuryuu clan,” Fuyuhiko stated, hand clenching into a fist as he spoke, bunching up the edge of the sheet covering Peko inside his grip, “ _ I’ll make her fucking pay. _ ”


	32. Chapter 32

“Did you see the despair on his face when his little girlfriend went down? Priceless!”

“It was very satisfying, Junko-chan.”

“It was more than just satisfying! It was downright orgasmic! Can you imagine what he must’ve been feeling? The despair of watching someone you love bleed out right in front of you, thinking that they’re going to die and there's nothing you can do about it… I’m so jealous,” Junko sighed wistfully, cheeks flushing at the mere thought of such a sweet despair. That put an idea into her head, and with a slight smirk and a sideways glance towards her sister she swooped down, yanking a small blade from the inside of her boot and driving it straight towards Mukuro’s throat in a single fluid motion. The attack was, of course, unsuccessful, and Junko promptly found herself blocked and disarmed without Mukuro so much as looking at her in the process.

“You know that you’ll have to try harder than that to kill me, Junko-chan,” Mukuro replied, carefully tucking the confiscated blade into her belt while smiling faintly, a light blush coming to her own cheeks as well. “I’m flattered that you think my death could cause you such a sweet despair, though.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t jerk yourself off about it too hard,” Junko huffed in response, waving a hand dismissively. Of course it would take more than an impromptu knife attack to kill her sister. Frankly, if that had actually worked, it would have been nothing short of disappointing. One of these days, though, Mukuro would die, and Junko fully intended to have that blood on her hands when it happened.

Their moment of bizarre sisterly bonding was interrupted by a voice that Junko knew she recognized, but couldn’t quite place. “A little late to be out for a walk around campus, isn’t it?” Turning to face the source of the noise, Junko was quickly greeted by the same mop of white hair and bland, expressionless face she had run across in the halls a few days prior.

“You again?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Nagito. “What gives? You’re not stalking me or something, are you?”

“Stalking? Of course not,” Nagito laughed in response, putting his hands up in front of him to deflect against the accusation. “I’d prefer to call it observing. But I guess I’m mincing words at this point.”

“Sounds an awful lot like stalking to me,” Junko insisted. “If you really wanted to know more about me that badly you could’ve just asked my publicist or picked up one of the gazillion magazines with my face on the cover.”

“I’m afraid this isn’t anything as simple as wondering what a celebrity’s favorite food is,” Nagito replied, still laughing softly through the tenseness of the situation. “The truth is a lot more serious than that. You see… I know what you’re up to.” Hearing such a bold and unexpected accusation caught Junko off guard, and for once in her life she actually looked like she wasn’t prepared for the situation she found herself in.

“...Elaborate,” she demanded.

“But of course," Nagito agreed. "I first started getting suspicious when those two Reserve Course girls ended up dead, and when Koizumi-san stopped showing up to class shortly after. Then there was the incident with Owari-san’s ankle. I knew something was going on at that point, although I wasn’t fully able to piece it together until I was fortunate enough to overhear your conversation with Nevermind-san in the hall the other day. That helped me to finally figure out what's been going: you’re trying to crush my classmates' hope.”

“Well shit,” Junko laughed, honestly impressed by just how dead on Nagito’s assessment was. “You figured me out, Boring-kun. What’s your talent? Some sort of… Investigator? Analyst? Or maybe something a little more whimsical, like a mindreader! Or a psychic!”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Nagito quickly replied, laughing modestly at the assumptions. “I don't have a talent at all, actually. I’m just a Lucky Student. Really, I’m something of a nobody.”

“Huh. So I guess you didn’t really do any legwork at all here, did you?” Junko taunted in response. “You just kinda stumbled across this whole thing with your luck. And now… What, is this the part where you try to stop me? Because if you’ve gotten this far you should already know that’s not going to work.”

“Once again, you’re mistaken. You see,” Nagito corrected, “I didn’t come here to try to stop you at all. I came here because I want to help you.” For the second time in this brief conversation Junko found herself completely blindsided by the words coming out of the boy’s mouth. While she didn’t understand the reasoning, though, she could sense that there was an opportunity here.

“So you’re saying that even after everything I’ve done to your classmates you still want to help me crush their hope? Could it be that after searching for all this time I’ve finally found a fellow disciple of despair?” she asked, as if Mukuro weren’t standing right next to her. Nagito was quick to shoot her down on that subject, though.

“Wrong again, Enoshima-san,” he replied. “I have to say, I had higher expectations for you than this. If this is who you really are, there’s no question that you’ll fail.”

“Fail?” Junko huffed, feigning offense in response. “And here I thought we were about to be on the same team.”

“Oh, far from it,” Nagito corrected. “The only reason I want to help you is because I already know you’ll fail." That statement seemed to intensify Junko's confusion, but while she tilted her head, Nagito just kept speaking. "Hope will always win out over despair," he explained,  "and hope shines the brightest when it has a powerful despair to overcome. So, Enoshima-san, allow me assist you in spreading the despair that will nurture my classmates’ hope and cause it to flourish more spectacularly than ever. I may not have any real talent, but I’m sure you can still find a use for me somewhere in your master plan.”

“You’re fucking crazy,” Junko replied. “And that's coming from me, so you _know_ it must be bad. I’ll take your little wager though,” she went on, stretching a hand out towards Nagito. “The ultimate showdown of hope versus despair! One finally battle to put the debate to rest for good! And once I’ve got all your classmates wrapped around my finger like the perfect little despair puppets they’ll be, maybe that will be enough to crush your stubborn hope too!” she cackled.

“I find that unlikely,” Nagito insisted, keeping his tone calm even in the presence of Junko's volatile insanity. He reached out to take the model's slender hand, giving it a firm shake. “Hope will always win in the end, Enoshima-san. This won’t be any exception.”


	33. Chapter 33

Mikan shifted her weight back and forth between her feet nervously as she stared at the door, trying to work up the confidence to raise her hand and knock. Her reason for coming here was bold- about a hundred times more bold than anything she had ever done in the past, and she was well aware of that. She knew that this would be terrifying, and potentially dangerous, but she needed to do it. She needed to put her foot down somewhere. She couldn’t keep letting her friends get hurt, and she couldn’t keep staying complicit in all of it.

Her eyes lifted up to the little plaque on the door once again, heart catching in her throat when she read the name etched there. “Junko Enoshima.” Reminding herself of who she was here to confront only made her anxiety spike up even more, and there was a tinge of guilt mixed in as well. To come here throwing accusations at one of the only people who had truly been nice to her the entire time she had been at Hope’s Peak, to bite the hand that fed her, so to speak, she couldn’t help but feel bad about it. Once again, though, she didn’t have a choice. She just kept telling herself that.

Mikan took one last deep breath in a desperate attempt to steady her nerves before slamming her fist against the door. It was far more aggressive than a knock should have been, but it was done hastily so that she wouldn’t have the chance to back out and run away. Mikan knew herself well enough to know that if she gave herself even the slightest opportunity to be a coward, she would end up taking it.

“One sec!” The familiar voiced called the words out from inside the room the moment Mikan knocked, causing the nurse’s anxiety to spike even higher still. She tried to keep herself calm as she stood there, regulating her breathing as best she could, but it didn’t seem to be doing a whole lot for her. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack, and having the door open a moment later didn’t help in the slightest.

“Huh?” Junko said, looking a bit surprised to see Mikan standing there. “Hey, Tsumiki-senpai. What’re you doing here so late? I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I… I n-needed to t-talk to you,” Mikan squeaked out, knowing that it was too late for her to back down now. “I’m s-sorry to bother you at this hour, b-but it’s important, and it c-can’t wait.”

“Oh yeah?” Junko replied, still sounding a bit skeptical and confused about the situation. She stepped to the side, though, motioning Mikan forward. “Alright. C’mon on in, I guess.”

“N-No, that’s alright,” Mikan replied, shaking her head as she rejected the offer. It wasn’t just out of modesty or politeness, though. She was learning how dangerous Junko had the potential to be, and going into the model’s room while confronting her like this practically seemed like signing her own death warrant. She would much rather prefer to talk out here, where there was a chance that other people could see them.

“Um… Alright?” Junko replied, arching an eyebrow curiously at that response. It seemed as though she was starting to get just a touch frustrated with the situation, and with how long Mikan was taking to get to the point, but she didn’t really expect anything less from her either. “Not to be rude or anything, but can you hurry this up then? Nothing personal, but it  _ is  _ pretty late, and I was kind of in the middle of something before you dropped in.”

“I… I-It’s… It’s about my classmates!” Mikan finally blurted out, causing the confusion on Junko’s face to deepen, just a bit. “They- I don’t want them to keep getting h-hurt!”

“Oh,” Junko replied, sighing softly and shutting her eyes as she responded. “That’s what this is about. I figured we would probably end up having this conversation sooner or later. This is about Pekoyama-senpai, isn’t it?”

“So it’s t-true?” Mikan squeaked out cautiously. “Y-You really were involved in th-that? In h-hurting her?”

“I was,” Junko confessed, opening her eyes again to meet Mikan’s timid gaze. “She came charging at me with that sword, and… I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” Junko insisted. “But she and Kuzuryuu-senpai didn’t leave me much of a choice. I’m almost afraid to ask, but… Is she doing okay?”

“I s-stitched her wound, and she’s r-resting now. She’ll be a-alright,” Mikan answered, before reminding herself that that wasn’t why she had come here. She couldn’t let Junko distract her, or redirect the conversation. She needed to stay on topic. “I-It’s not just Pekoyama-san though!” she quickly added on. “I know you h-hurt Owari-san. And K-Koizumi-san’s head i-injury-”

“Hold up,” Junko interrupted. “You think I was responsible for what happened to Koizumi-senpai? I thought you already knew that was all our little yakuza prince’s doing.”

“I know y-you weren’t the one who a-attacked her,” Mikan admitted sheepishly, before forcing herself to say the next part of what she was thinking. “B-But you… You were i-involved somehow, w-weren’t you?” Junko didn’t immediately react when Mikan made that accusation. For a moment she just remained silently, staring back at the nurse with a blank, emotionless expression, before her face twisted into something that looked… Hurt. Upset. Betrayed.

“Tsumiki-senpai…” she said softly. “Why are you suddenly turning on me like this? Do you really think I would do something so horrible?” The change in demeanor seemed to have its desired effect, throwing Mikan off guard, and her frantic stuttering grew even worse as she tried to keep herself focused on everything that she wanted,  _ needed _ to say to Junko.

“Y-Y-You already t-told me you h-hurt Owari-san!” she insisted. She had raised her voice louder in an attempt to sound stern, but instead it just ended up sounding distressed. “A-And n-now Pekoyama-san… You k-keep h-hurting my c-classmates!”

“I told you that I didn’t want to hurt Pekoyama-senpai like that, Tsumiki-chan,” Junko replied, and the sudden increase in familiarity immediately brought a violent flush to Mikan’s cheeks. “And with Owari-senpai, I know I shouldn’t have, but… You liked that, didn’t you?” Junko adopted a suddenly bashful demeanor at that point, breaking eye contact with Mikan for just a moment before forcing herself to regain it. "I just did it because I thought you would..."

“I- I d-didn’t want my f-friends g-getting hurt!” Mikan protested, once more thrown off by the sudden change in Junko’s demeanor. The model was proving to be so wildly unpredictable, so able to shift her entire personality on a dime, and Mikan didn’t know how to process it. It already would have been hard enough for the average person to make sense of, but with someone who was flustered and disoriented as easily as Mikan was, it was practically impossible. “I d-didn’t want a-anyone getting h-hurt!”

“But I did it for you, Tsumiki-chan,” Junko insisted. “You did such a good job of taking care of Koizumi-senpai. And you enjoyed it, didn’t you? You enjoyed having control over her like that. You enjoyed having her rely on you. You enjoyed having her  _ need _ you. And now you feel the same way with Owari-senpai, don’t you? Don’t you like being able to hold on to that feeling?”

“N-Not if it m-means people k-keep g-g-getting hurt!” Mikan shrieked out. “Not if it means you a-attacking my f-friends!” Mikan was growing overwhelmed by this point, screwing her eyes shut tightly and grabbing at her own hair as she shouted the words. “I d-don’t want anyone e-else getting hurt! I d-don’t want my f-friends g-g-getting hurt because of me! I d-don’t want you t-to-!”Mikan was cut off rather suddenly by the feeling of a hand against her cheek, and when she reopened her eyes she found that Junko was now leaning in much, much closer than she had been before.

“What are you so afraid of?” she asked, her voice dropping much lower now that she was already so close to Mikan. “You know nothing bad is going to happen to them. Not as long as you’re taking care of them. With you looking after your friends their injuries will get better in no time, and they’ll be as good as new. No harm no foul, right?”

“Th-That’s not what matters!” Mikan insisted. “It d-doesn’t m-matter if they get better! It m-m-matters that they were h-hurt in the first p-place!”

“You’re worrying too much,” Junko insisted. Her hand was still cupping Mikan’s cheek, and as she spoke further her thumb began to brush back and forth, gently dragging itself across the nurse’s flushed skin. “Do you know why I felt comfortable doing these things in the first place? It’s because I knew you would take such good care of your classmates even if they did get injured, Tsumiki-chan. You’re so talented… I knew you would never let anything actually bad happen to any of them. I knew you would keep them safe no matter what I did. And I knew you would enjoy getting to nurse them back to health. Your a hero to them now, you know.”

“W-Why…?” Mikan barely managed to squeak out, her voice all but gone at this point. “W-Why are you d-doing all of th-this?”

“I’ll explain everything to you soon enough, Tsumiki-chan,” Junko promised in response. “For now just keep looking after your classmates for me, okay? Keep them safe. Make sure nothing too bad happens to any of them. Can you do that for me?” she asked.

“I-I-” Mikan stammered in response, and before she could turn her distressed noises into a coherent sentence, Junko cut her off again.

“Why am I even bothering to ask? I already know you can.” After saying that she leaned forward, closing the gap between them and allowing their lips to brush against each other for just a moment. Mikan's heart practically stopped in that moment, her mind nearly shutting down, and the only thing she was able to do was stand there rigidly, the only sound coming from the startled noise that escaped her throat. Junko pulled back a second later, a coy smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’ll be counting on you, Tsumiki-chan,” she said. With that she stepped backwards, shutting the door and leaving Mikan out in the hall, a confused, disoriented, vibrantly pink-faced mess. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she was almost certain that she hadn't accomplished what she had set out to with this confrontation.


	34. Chapter 34

As the last bell of the day rang Sonia stood up from her desk, neatly tucking her belongings away into her bag before making her way towards the door. She was just planning on returning to her room for the evening, given that she had nothing else to do, but as she was about to step out the door into the hallway she was stopped by the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, followed by a familiar, calm voice.

“Do you have a minute, Nevermind-san? I wanted to talk with you.” Sonia turned around to face Nagito, smiling cheerfully.

“Of course, Komaeda-san! Is something the matter?”

“Well, I was hoping you could tell me that,” Nagito replied. “You haven’t quite seemed like yourself lately. Is everything alright with you?”

“Ah, of course!” Sonia lied. “Thank you for asking though! That is very kind!” While she was acting friendly, though, internally she was cursing herself. She didn’t want to worry her classmates or let them know that anything was wrong, and while she had thought that she was doing a good enough job keeping her engagement a secret, apparently she was gravely mistaken. If Nagito of all people, someone who she didn’t even tend to be that close to, could figure this out, she was afraid to think of what else her classmates might have picked up on without her realizing it.

“Are you sure?” Nagito replied, not quite seeming satisfied by Sonia’s hasty attempt to dismiss the situation. “I know there probably isn’t much someone like myself can do to help, but I would like to be able to do whatever I can to assist you with your problems.”

“That’s very kind of you, but really, I am alright!” Sonia insisted. She was doing her best to keep that familiar, optimistic smile on her face, but with Nagito doubling down on the question it became harder for her to just pretend that everything was fine. “You do not need to worry yourself!” She had never been a particularly good liar.

“If you say so,” Nagito replied, a note of skepticism still apparent in his voice. “But I do hope you’ll keep me in mind if anything does come up. Like I said, I may not be able to help much, but offering my moral support is the least I can do for all of you talented Ultimates, especially with how much you already give back to this world.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Sonia said, giving a slight nod with the upper part of her body. “Thank you for taking the time to check with me! I very much appreciate it.”

“Of course, Nevermind-san. I would hate to monopolize any more of your precious time, though. I’ll stop bothering you now.”

“You are never a bother!” Sonia promised. Still, with another polite smile she was turning back to the door again. “I will see you later, Komaeda-san!” she said, putting an awkward bit of inflection on “see you later” that made it very clear it was a term she had picked up through television and movies, rather than one she had come across naturally. With that said she made her way out of the classroom, continuing back towards the second year dorms. Nagito stood there for a minute as he watched her leave, before reaching down into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Dialing a number, he held it up to his ear and waited for it to connect.

“Did you do it?” The voice that came from the other end of the phone was sharp and abrupt, wasting no time on greetings or introductions. Right down to the point, just as Nagito had expected.

“I did,” he replied. “I’m not sure that this accomplished anything, though. She was adamant that nothing was wrong.”

“Doesn’t matter,” the voice replied. “That was all I needed from you.”

“And that was enough?” Nagito asked. “I have to say, I’m skeptical of this master plan of yours, Enoshima-san.”

“Well that’s why I’m the mastermind and you’re just my lackey, right?” Junko replied. “Trying to explain this all to a nobody like you would be a waste of my time anyway.”

“I suppose you’re right about that,” Nagito agreed. “Do you need anything else from me, then?”

“Nope!” Junko said gleefully. “That’s all for now. Thanks for your help, Komaeda-senpai!” she hummed, and then undermined any tone of genuine sincerity those words might have had by hanging up on him before he had the chance to respond. Nagito just laughed softly in response, looking down at the “CALL ENDED” notification blinking across his screen.

“What a curious girl…”


	35. Chapter 35

It was hot. That was the main thing that was on Gundham’s mind at the moment. It was hot, and bright, and the outfit he was wearing certainly didn’t help with that. He much rather would have been in the shade of the stables at the moment, but instead he was here, sitting on a bench in the middle of the courtyard, where he had been dragged by Nagito. That alone struck him as a little bit odd, seeing as how Nagito often made a point of avoiding the other Ultimates. With the general sense of inferiority he seemed to carry he didn’t spend that much time around them, and it was rare for him to say that she wanted to spend time with any of them. Let alone for him to be so persistent about it, as he had with Gundham.

As he glanced down the path Gundham saw Nagito returning from the vending machine, carrying… What appeared to be an enormous stack of ice cream bars. Quite possibly the entire vending machine’s worth. Gundham immediately raised an eyebrow in suspicion, tugging down on his scarf as he spoke.

“Were that many sweets truly necessary?” he asked, causing Nagito to chuckle.

“I can assure you, this wasn’t my intention. These sorts of things just happen on occasion. Would you like some?” he asked, offering the pile out towards Gundham as he took a seat on the bench beside him.

“Pah,” Gundham replied distastefully, shaking his head. “I have no desire to poison my body with such disgustingly sugary sweets. You would be wise not to do so either.”

“Is that so?” A sly smile spread over Nagito’s face as he took an ice cream bar from the top of the pile, starting to peel back the wrapper. “I thought this body was just a temporary form for you. Isn’t that what you’re always saying, Tanaka-kun?” Gundham was quiet in response to that question for a moment, before a smirk crossed over his face. He chuckled softly, amused by the fact that Nagito had remembered and acknowledged such a thing. The question even seemed genuine enough, absent of the normal mocking tone that most of his other classmates used when discussing such matters with him.

“You are correct,” he agreed. “However, temporary as it may be, it is still a form I plan to have for many years to come. As such, I intend to keep it in good condition for as long as I should need it.”

“That’s understandable,” Nagito replied. “But you shouldn’t do so at the expense of having fun. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself every once in awhile. That’s especially true of people who work as hard as you Ultimates do.”

“I will have more than enough time to relax in my next life,” Gundham said, shaking his head dismissively at the thought. “Was there a reason that you requested this meeting, Komaeda?”

“Getting right down to business, I see,” Nagito replied, chuckling as he took his own turn to shake his head. “Not a particular reason, no. I just thought it would be good for me to spend a little more time getting to know what’s going on with my classmates. I realized how little I know about so many of you, after finding out about what’s happening with Nevermind-san…” The mention of Sonia’s name immediately caught Gundham’s attention, and he looked over towards Nagito with a raised eyebrow, speaking in a tone that was more stern than usual.

“Nevermind?” he asked. “Explain yourself, knave.” The question seemed to throw Nagito off, and it took a moment before he realized what he had just said. As soon as he did he shut his eyes, laughing softly and reaching up to scratch the back of the head.

“Whoops. I don’t think I was supposed to say anything about that,” he chuckled weakly. “Just forget that I said anything.”

“I will do no such thing,” Gundham replied, narrowing his eyes at Nagito. “Tell me of what you speak. Do so quickly! I have little patience for those who would waste my time.” Nagito sighed at that point, realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to weasel his way out of the situation now, even if he tried. Once a cat was out of a bag, it was very hard to stuff it back in. Especially for someone as unlucky as him.

“Well, I don’t think I was supposed to be telling anyone about this,” Nagito admitted, a bit of an apologetic look crossing over his face. He didn’t exactly seem proud of himself for spilling such a massive secret. “Don’t tell Nevermind-san that you heard about this from me, alright?” he asked.

“I will consider it,” Gundham replied. “If you answer my questions quickly, and cease prolonging this exchange.”

“Very well,” Nagito said, nodding in agreement. “I recently discovered the fact that Nevermind-san’s parents have promised her hand in an arranged marriage to a prince from a neighboring kingdom. Following her graduation from Hope’s Peak, she’ll be returning back home to be married off.” The moment Gundham heard the word “marriage” get used his expression twisted to one of disbelief, and after Nagito was finished speaking he remained silent for a few moments, before demanding more answers.

“Where did you hear of this information? It seems questionable at best,” he insisted.

“I understand your skepticism,” Nagito replied. “And I see why you would want to think it’s not true. Especially given your… Particularly close relationship with Nevermind-san,” he went on, making sure to pick his words carefully. “But I can assure you, this is the truth. Ask her yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“I suppose I will have to,” Gundham agreed, standing up from the bench rather abruptly. Nagito looked up, blinking a few times before smiling politely.

“Oh, right now?” he asked, laughing quietly. “I suppose I really will be eating all of this ice cream on my own, then. Just don’t tell her I’m the one who mentioned this to you, will you? I wasn’t even supposed to know to begin with.”

“Very well,” Gundham replied, giving Nagito a slight nod of affirmation. “The pact of secrecy is sealed. You have my word. Now, if you will excuse me.”

“Good luck,” Nagito said, before laughing again. “Then again, that’s probably a curse coming from me. But Ultimates like you never seem to need luck anyway.” Bit by bit Junko’s plan seemed to be coming together. And bit by bit, Nagito was starting to feel that he actually understood it. It was almost good enough that he could bring himself to believe that it wasn't doomed to failure. And if it had been set into motion against anyone other than his own classmates he might have been able to see it succeeding. But against the pinnacles of hope that he was so blessed to share a class with, he knew that Junko never even stood a chance. This had been over before it had started. Hope would emerge victorious, just like it always did. The only question was, at what cost?


	36. Chapter 36

Gundham was uncharacteristically nervous as he stood in front of Sonia’s door. It wasn’t like him, the self-proclaimed crown prince of Hell, to get uneasy over the mere thought of talking with someone, but his reasons for coming here weren’t pleasant ones, and he had the feeling that the conversation that was about to take place was going to be uncomfortable for the both of them. But he wasn’t one to shy away from such things, and so he refused to back out now. He forced himself to raise a fist, rapping sharply against the door a few times over before calling through. “Nevermind! Are you in there? I desire to speak with you.”

“Ah, Tanaka-san!” Sonia’s voice called back immediately afterwards. “One moment, please!” This was followed by the sound of feet hitting the floor, and in another moment the door opened, revealing the cheerful looking princess, standing there with a bright smile on her face. Seeing that she seemed to be in high spirits only made it more difficult for Gundham to steel his resolve to have this conversation with her. “May I help you?”

“There is a topic that has recently been brought to my attention, and I feel it would be pertinent to discuss it with you,” Gundham replied. “May I enter your chambers?” Sonia nodded in response, stepping off to the side so that Gundham could walk into her room. And as the boy did so he looked around, surprised by the simplicity of it all. Coming from a princess he would have expected something fancier and more opulent, but Sonia’s room looked practically indistinguishable from that of any other high school student’s.

“You seem very severe, Tanakan-san,” Sonia said, almost managing to find the word that she was looking for as she shut the door behind him. The princess turned to look at Gundham at that point, a worried expression on her face. “Is something the matter?”

“...You could say that, yes,” Gundham replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to face Sonia in kind. “I believe you are the one who should be explaining what that something is, however.” The comment seemed to confuse Sonia greatly, and rather than reacting as Gundham may have expected, she simply creased her brow and tilted her head.

“I am afraid I do not understand,” Sonia said, although she got the sense that Gundham was upset about something. It was the impression that he was giving off at the moment. Gundham himself, on the other hand, was being very particular about his choice of words to try to avoid coming across as such. Apparently he wasn’t doing the greatest job of it.

“I had a conversation with one of our classmates recently,” Gundham began. He avoided mentioning Komaeda by name, although depending on how the boy had come into this information in the first place, he also realized that it might not have been that hard for Sonia to piece together what had happened. Gundham was, of course, completely blind to Junko’s hand in the whole situation. “This classmate expressed concern for you. The seemed to think you have been acting unusually as of late. I am inclined to agree.” At that point, Sonia suddenly realized what it was that Gundham was getting at. She wasn’t sure whether he already knew about her secret, or had simply noticed that something was amiss due to her behavior, but either way she cursed herself for not hiding it better. Still, so long as she hadn’t been entirely caught out, she wasn’t going to admit to anything just yet either. She desperately wanted to keep this information from the rest of her class, and from Gundham in particular.

“I admit that I have been feeling sick for home recently,” Sonia replied. And, despite her butchering of the word, she felt that it was a believable thing to say. If Gundham already knew the truth, however, which he did, she was only incriminating herself further by attempting to lie about this.

“Nevermind,” Gundham said, reaching up to tug his scarf down slightly while he spoke. “If there is something plaguing you, you may come to me as a confidant regarding the issue. I trust that you know this.”

“Of course!” Sonia replied. “And I appreciate it very much, Tanaka-san. But I promise, there is nothing for you to be so worried about!” At this point, Gundham found himself at a crossroads. It was clear that Sonia wasn’t going to admit to the arranged marriage unless she was asked about it specifically. And in that case the obvious thing to do was to tell her that he knew, to ask her why she was keeping it a secret, and to offer his support. But… He couldn’t. Gundham opened his mouth to say just that, but he found the words caught in his throat. For some reason, he was unable to force himself to speak his mind.

There was an indecipherable mixture of emotion tumbling around inside Gundham’s head at the moment. Concern, first and foremost, for a friend who he felt needed his help. But on top of that, there was also a sense of confusion as to why Sonia would keep this a secret from the people who cared about her, especially when it was so clearly causing her distress. And, on top of that, there was a feeling of anger as well. Anger that he knew was misplaced, but that he felt towards Sonia for keeping such a secret from him, and for apparently telling Komaeda of all people instead. Gundham knew that he had no right to feel angry towards Sonia, but the strange about anger was that it didn’t listen to petty little things like logic.

“...I see,” he ended up replying at great length, pulling his scarf back into its place over his mouth and turning his attention back towards the door once again. “Well, if that is the case, know that you may seek my counsel whenever you are next burdened with such thoughts.”

“Thank you, Tanaka-san,” Sonia said, wearing a polite smile on her face. “Was there anything else that you wished to speak about?”

“No,” Gundham replied, starting to walk towards the door again. “I should be on my way.”

“Very well. Feel free to come by again whenever you would like!” Sonia did her best to keep her expression and tone cheerful as she watched Gundham walk towards the door, but she couldn’t help but feel that this conversation, short as it was, had been a complete disaster.

“I will. Farewell, Nevermind,” Gundham said, stepping out the door.

“Farewell, Tanaka-san!” she replied in kind, watching the door shut behind him. The moment it was closed and the two of them were separated from each other again, both students let out a long sigh, slumping down against the nearest wall. Gundham clenched a fist in frustration, the anger that he felt towards Sonia for keeping such a secret from him, even now, mixing together with the guilt that he felt for not even realizing that anything had been amiss until Nagito had pointed it out to him. Sonia, meanwhile, cursed herself for not hiding her personal issues well enough, and for allowing them to reach a point where her classmates had begun to take notice. And somewhere farther away Junko likely cackled, patting herself on the back while taking satisfaction in the knowledge that all of the dominoes were beginning to fall, one by one by one.


	37. Chapter 37

Sonia knew that it was counterproductive to start isolating herself. Her friends were worried about her, and if she started trying to avoid them, talking to them less, conveniently finding excuses to not have to spend time with them, she knew that it would probably only worry them even more. But so far her actions had already caused concern for two of her classmates, and she didn’t want that to spread any farther than it already had. And, knowing full well that telling them the truth wasn’t an option, what other choice did she have?

So that was how things had been even since Gundham had spoken to her. She had been staying away from her classmates as much as she could, only showing up for classes themselves and leaving the moment they were over. She rarely went out, and when she did it was to places where she didn’t think she was very likely to be seen. Quiet places like the garden or, at the moment, the library. The library was small, and students didn’t seem to come through there very often, especially not so late at night. For that reason, the princess was actually surprised when she heard the door to the space creak open.

As Sonia looked up from the book she had been reading (a mystery novel, loosely based on the story of a real serial killer) she saw Junko standing in the door, and it didn’t take Junko long to recognize Sonia either. Immediately the model’s face was lighting up, and she was zipping across the room towards where Sonia was sitting.

“Nevermind-senpai!” she sang out, in a voice that was probably far too loud for a library, but was excusable thanks to the fact that they were the only two in there. “What’re you doing in here so late? Cramming for a test or something?” she asked, sliding right into the seat next to Sonia and peering down at the book she was reading.

“Ah! No, it is nothing like that,” Sonia replied, putting on that polite, regal smile that she had practiced so much over the course of her life. “I am simply enjoying a bit of late night reading,” she explained, holding the book up and turning the cover towards Junko so the model could see it.

“Oooh, murder mystery, huh?” Junko snickered. “You sure you wanna be reading that sort of thing at night, alone, when you’ve gotta walk back to the dorms after this? Seems like a great way to freak yourself out.”

“Oh, no, I will be fine,” Sonia replied confidently. “This is not the sort of thing that frightens me. I actually find it quite interesting!”

“Oh really? A princess that’s into serial killers, huh?” Junko mused, arching an eyebrow as she stored that little bit of information away, feeling that it might become useful to her in the future. “I dig it though.”

“Do you have similar interests?” Sonia asked, the faintest bit of excitement coming into her eyes with the question. Maybe that was a big leap, but it would be nice to finally find someone else who shared some of her more morbid fascinations. Most of her classmates looked at her strangely when she tried to talk to them about such things, and it was a bit disheartening for the poor princess.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Junko replied, laughing softly at the question. “I’ve been reading up a lot on Genocider Syo lately. You ever heard of him?”

“Yes!” Sonia exclaimed, excitement coming forth far more freely now. “The most dangerous serial killer in all of Japan! He has committed dozens of very violent murders, but the police still have no idea who he may be!”

“Well… That’s not quite true,” A little grin crossed over Junko's lips as she said that, leaning in closer towards Sonia while her eyes darted around the room as if to make sure the two of them were truly alone. “I can’t say anything for certain, but from what I’ve heard they’re starting to build a profile for this guy. Based on the timetables and locations of his murders, they’re starting to think he might be a student. Hell,” Junko laughed, “for all we know he could even be right here at this very school. Pretty crazy thing to think about, huh?”

“Very!” Sonia agreed, still displaying a level of excitement that was not at all appropriate for a thought like that. “I would not be surprised if he truly was a student here. Hope’s Peak seems to attract very erotic people!”

“...Erotic?” Junko repeated, sitting back up straight and staring at Sonia, blinking a few times as she tried to process what the hell that meant.

“Yes! Erotic!” Sonia repeated. “Different! Strange! Unusual!”

“Eccentric, Nevermind-senpai.”

“Oh! My mistake!” Junko couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that, before focusing back in on the true reason she had come by the library in the first place.

“Anyway, doesn’t really explain what you’re doing up here so late all by yourself,” Junko pointed out. “I mean, people don’t usually stick around the main building this late. And you’ve got your own room, don’t you?”

“I do,” Sonia agreed, giving a slight nod. “But I have been spending quite a bit of time there recently. I thought this would be a nice change of pace.”

“Huh? Then why are you holing up in your room so much in the first place?” Junko asked, and at that point Sonia realize she had let something slip. She seemed startled for just a moment, before putting her polite smile back on.

“There is no reason in particular,” she insisted, shaking her head. “I have simply been busy.” Believable enough, but Junko didn’t seem to buy into it.

“Nevermind-saaaan,” Junko whined, reaching a perfectly manicured fingertip out to poke against Sonia’s cheek, once again earning a slightly startled reaction from the princess. “What gives? You’re hiding something.”

“Really, it is nothing,” Sonia repeated, shaking her head once again. “Just… Princess things.”

“Princess things, huh?” Junko mimicked, leaning back away from Sonia now to rest her elbow on the table and prop her head up with her hand. “Well obviously I’m not a princess or anything, but if you wanna talk about it at all…” For a few seconds after Junko said that Sonia was silent, and it didn’t really seem like she was going to say anything. But then, in what came as a shock to even Sonia herself, she found herself blurting out an honest answer to the question.

“I am going to be married.” Sonia wasn’t sure why she had said that. She hadn’t even told any of her classmates, and here she was speaking to Junko, who she hardly even knew- but then again, maybe that was precisely the reason she had done it. Maybe telling someone she didn’t know, someone she wasn’t as close to, was easier than telling someone she actually cared about on any sort of deeper level. It felt like there were no consequences this way, like she wouldn’t have to deal with any fallout, didn’t have to risk harming one of her friends by burdening them with the information. It was just easier this way.

“Married?” Junko asked, sitting back up straight and creasing her brow, able to understand the meaning behind the word even if Sonia hadn’t given her all the specifics. “You mean, like…?”

“Yes,” Sonia confirmed, nodding ever so slightly while keeping her eyes glued to the table in front of her, unable to bring herself to look at Junko at the moment. “An arranged marriage. To a prince I have not met.”

“Shit, Nevermind-san…” Junko replied softly, before scooting her chair closer and reaching out to cautiously put an arm around Sonia in what she hoped would be a comforting gesture. Sonia tensed when she first felt it there, but after a moment she seemed to relax, allowing Junko to say close to her.

“I should not be upset about this,” Sonia stated, clenching her hands tightly in her lap as she tried to convince herself that her own words were true. “As a princess I always knew that such a thing would likely happen.”

“Well yeah, but… That doesn’t mean you’ve gotta be happy about it.” As Junko spoke she started to rub Sonia’s shoulder softly, doing all she could to put the girl at ease. “Isn’t there anything you can do about it?”

“No. This is something I must do. For my people.” Sonia had been telling herself that from the moment she had first heard the news. And while she supposed this did help on some level, reminding herself that it was for a greater good of a country that she cared about so deeply, it was still a far cry from actually being happy about it. “When I was younger the thought never truly bothered me,” Sonia admitted, still a little unsure of why she was telling Junko all of this. “I think it was only after coming to Hope’s Peak and seeing what it felt like to be a normal student that the thought truly started to upset me...”

“I can only imagine…” Junko said quietly, giving a small tug with the arm that was around Sonia’s shoulder to bring the other girl closer to her. Sonia allowed herself to be pulled in, and in that moment, she finally cracked. For the past month she had been trying to hold everything in, trying to be the proper upright princess that everyone expected her to be, trying not to worry her friends with something they could do nothing about. But now it was all falling apart, and the calm mask that she had been wearing for so long had finally fallen off. Suddenly she was crying tears that had been held back for so long, burying her face into Junko’s shoulder as she broke down.

“I do not want to marry him…” Sonia whispered, voice barely audible between its own softness and the way it was muffled.

“I know,” Junko replied, holding onto Sonia tightly and rubbing the princess’s back as she let her cry. “I know you don’t…”

“I d-do not want to give away my future…” Sonia choked out.

“I know,” Junko repeated, an enormous grin stretching across her mouth as Sonia’s face stayed buried in her shoulder. “But just you wait. I promise you, everything’s gonna turn out just fine…”


	38. Chapter 38

“Hurry up, Mukuro-chan!”

“P-Please, stop pulling me…”

“But you’re gonna miss your flight! Those tickets weren’t cheap, y’know.”

Mukuro hated crowds. Perhaps it was a result of spending so long in a literal war zone, where every single person she came across was a potential threat, or perhaps she had just always been like this. Either way, being in a crowded airport was bad enough. Having Junko drag her around like a pet on a leash, while Mukuro dragged her own bag behind her, wasn’t making the situation any better. She could already tell that she wasn’t going to be able to calm down for a single second until she had arrived safely at her destination.  Fortunately, the two sisters’ journey through the terminal ended just a few moments later. Junko came to an abrupt stop in front of Mukuro, nearly causing Mukuro to come crashing into her. The model looked down at the boarding pass that she held in her hand, then up at the gate number, confirming that they were the same before twirling around on her heels to face her sister.

“Alright, here we are!” she declared, pushing the boarding pass into Mukuro’s hand. “You know what to do once you get there?”

“Yes, Junko-chan,” Mukuro replied.

“And you’re gonna call me when you land so I know you got there safely, right onee-chan?” Junko added on, adopting a cloying sweetness to her tone of voice. Mukuro knew that it was all just some act, that Junko was playing everything up because that was just what she did. But all the same, she allowed herself to believe that there was some grain of truth to it. She knew that Junko really did care for her. Even if it didn’t always show through clearly.

“Of course, Junko-chan,” she agreed, giving a small, affirming nod while a faint blush spread over her cheeks.

“Great!” Junko cheered. “Oh! And one last thing.” And then, in an instant, Junko’s tone and expression had gone from aggressively sweet to plain old aggressive, a darkness seeming to cover her face as she suddenly leaned in closer to her sister. “You’re not gonna get ‘lost’ while you’re over there, are you?” she asked, raising her hands and making quotation marks with her fingers at the word “lost.” Mukuro was understandably taken aback by the sudden change in tone, instinctively starting to take a step backwards before reminding herself to stand her ground.

“I d-don’t-” Mukuro stammered out, before being promptly cut off by her sister.

“Don’t what? Don’t know what I’m talking about? Don’t feed me lines like that,” Junko spat. “I think we both remember what happened the last time you fucked off to a different country like this. I’m not waiting another three years for you to come back home this time, onee-chan,” she warned.

“O-Of course not,” Mukuro replied, body going rigid as she stood there in front of Junko. “I would never-”

“Really? ‘Cause you already did once. Could’ve fooled me.”

“I w-won’t,” Mukuro replied, feeling that familiar tightness in her chest, the sting in her eyes as she, the girl who could fell an army without fear or remorse, fought back the tears brought on by a few simple words. “I wouldn’t d-do that to you again, Junko-chan…” Mukuro flinched as she watched her twin raise a hand, but managed to relax slightly when she realized that, rather than the harsh slap she was prepared for, Junko was reaching up to delicately cup her cheek instead.

“Good,” Junko replied, voice soft enough now that the words were just for the two of them, despite the crowd gathered all around. “Because I’m really counting on you, onee-chan. I need you.”

“I won’t let you down,” Mukuro promised, and simply saying that hardened her resolve a thousand times over. If there was a single part of her that had even been considering running away from Junko once again, it was gone now. She was going to carry out the task she had been given. She was going to make Junko proud. She was going to prove to her sister, and to herself, once and for all, that she could be trusted. That she could be useful. That she could be needed. That she could matter.

She just wanted to matter.


	39. Chapter 39

Mikan was confused. There hadn’t been a single moment since her last meeting with Junko in which she hadn’t been confused, and for days now she had been dwelling on that moment, trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Junko had kissed her. Junko Enoshima, the world famous supermodel, had taken notice of her, had befriended her, and had kissed her. And no matter how much time Mikan spent thinking about it, it still didn’t make any sense to her.

_Why_ had Junko kissed her? That was the question that was weighing on Mikan’s mind so heavily. Did it mean something? And if so, what? The easiest thing to do would simply have been to ask, but Mikan was afraid to do that. Her last confrontation with Junko hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to, and she was scared of the thought of what might happen if she simply walked up to the model and blurted out a question like that. She didn’t know what sort of answer she might get, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to find out.

The only thing that had been giving Mikan any sort of break from these thoughts over the past couple of days had been Peko. The swordswoman had been moved back to her own room by this point, but, at Mikan’s command (which she hadn’t actually listened to until Fuyuhiko had doubled down and given the same order the nurse herself had), she had been staying in bed and resting while her injuries healed. Mikan had gone by quite often to check on her while she was recovering- more than was really necessary, in all likelihood. But dealing with these medical issues was a lot more simple and straightforward than trying to make sense of Junko.

“Y-Your stitches are holding up w-well,” she commented, crouching down beside Peko’s bed to take a careful look at the wound across her classmate’s stomach. “And th-the pain’s been m-manageable?”

“Yes,” Peko replied, giving a somber nod.

“I-If it gets too bad I c-could still give you painkillers o-or-”

“No,” Peko interrupted, this time shaking her head. “I am alright.” It was a stubborn, possibly unnecessary mentality, but it was Peko’s own failure that had caused this injury in the first place. Any pain she felt as a result of it was a reminder of that failure, and served as motivation to become stronger, so that such a situation would never come about again.

“O-Okay…” Mikan squeaked out softly, now feeling bad for even suggesting it in the first place. She stood upright, straightening out her skirt before looking down at Peko, as Peko herself stared blankly ahead. “Do you… N-Need anything else before I go?”

“No,” Peko replied again, pausing for a moment before adding on a soft “Thank you.” Mikan forced the smallest of smiles to her face, nodding slightly in return.

“Just… L-Let me know if you do,” she said, before moving towards the door. It was practically impossible to tell what was going on in Peko’s mind, and Mikan often found herself struggling to determine whether her classmate was actually at all appreciative of the help that she was trying to give, or loathed Mikan for keeping her trapped in her room all the time like this. Maybe some combination of the two. All Mikan could do was wonder as she opened the door, stepped out into the hall, rounded the corner…

And found herself face to face with Junko.

“E-Enoshima-san!” she blurted out, immediately stumbling backwards a few steps as she was greeted by the unexpected presence. And from the looks of things, the stern expression and the arms crossed over her chest, Junko didn’t seem to be in a very good mood at the moment.

“So what I heard was true, huh? You really have been looking after Pekoyama-senpai?”

“I- Wh-Who told you that?” Mikan stammered out, immediately looking back over her shoulder towards the room that she had just left.

“Word gets around fast, Tsumiki-chan,” Junko replied. “How is she holding up? Is her recovery coming along well?”

“Y-Yes…” Mikan squeaked out, facing forward again but still avoiding direct eye contact with Junko. “She j-just needs to rest a lot, but she’s o-okay…” Why was she telling Junko any of this in the first place?

“I’m not surprised,” Junko replied. “After all…” Mikan practically jumped when she suddenly felt fingers brushing against her cheek, and she lifted her eyes from the floor to find Junko looking directly at her, a soft smile on the model’s face. “She has an amazing nurse like you taking care of her. I was never really worried.”

“Her injuries were s-still dangerous!” Mikan protested, pulling away from Junko’s hand. “She could’ve d-died!”

“But she didn’t, did she?” came Junko’s reply, expression going stern for a moment once again. “Because she had you.”

“You can’t keep doing this!” Mikan’s voice was starting to grow louder now, a touch of that anger-induced confidence starting to show through. “You can’t keep h-hurting my friends! Pekoyama-san and Koizuimi-san both almost _died_ because of you!”

“But they didn’t,” Junko repeated. “And I knew they wouldn’t.”

“You still hurt them!”

“And you took care of them. Why are you getting so angry with me, Tsumiki-chan?” As Junko spoke she stepped forward, and any brief spark of confidence that Mikan might have felt seemed to fizzle out as Junko’s imposing presence moved towards her. Junko was hardly that much taller than Mikan, and she was such a scrawny girl that she posed no real physical threat either, but somehow she still managed to command such a powerful aura that it felt as if she had an army at her back at all times.

“B-Because I don’t want you h-hurting people!” Mikan stammered out. She continued to retreat away from Junko as she spoke, but the other girl wasn’t giving any ground. With each step backwards that Mikan took Junko took a step of her own forwards, slowly closing the distance between them, and soon enough Mikan found herself backed up against a wall with nowhere else to run.

“But I already told you,” Junko said, leaning in closer and reaching up to cup Mikan’s cheek once more now that the nurse couldn’t pull away. "I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this so you can take care of them. So they can _need_ you. Isn’t that what you want, Tsumiki-chan? For them to need you?”

“Not- Not like this!” Mikan protested, shaking her head frantically. Junko sighed in response, hesitating briefly before she continued to speak.

“Tsumiki-chan… Can I be honest with you about something?” The sudden shift in tone caught Mikan off guard, and she found her eyes drawn up towards Junko, nodding sheepishly.

“O-Okay…”

“I’m… Really jealous of you,” Junko admitted, and now it was her own turn to break eye contact and glance off to the side as she spoke. “I know I sort of said this before, but… You _save lives_. That’s such an amazing talent! There’re people out there who would literally be dead if it weren’t for you! Meanwhile all I do is help huge companies sell foundation and miniskirts.”

“Enoshima-san…” Mikan said softly, before Junko continued speaking.

“I guess I just thought… I dunno,” Junko sighed. “You didn’t see it. When I talked to you, you didn’t seem to realize how incredible your talent is. How incredible _you_ are. And I thought, maybe, if I could find some way to make you realize, to make you _see_ how important you can be, if I could make you see how much people really do _need_ you, how people would die if it weren’t for what you do...”

“You… You really d-did all of this… For m-me…?” Mikan asked, biting right down onto the hook Junko had set for her.

“I tried,” Junko replied. “But I guess I fucked it up pretty bad, didn’t I?”

“P-Please, no more hurting anyone…” Mikan pleaded.

“Is that what would make you happy?” Junko asked, prompting a nod in response. “Alright. Then you have my word,” she promised. “I won’t hurt anyone else for you.”

“Th-Thank you…” Mikan stammered, a wave of relief washing over her. She could finally stop worrying about her friends. She didn't have to keep feeling that rush of fear every time someone knocked on her door or called her phone, thinking that another person she cared about had ended up injured. This was finally over.

“I really do admire you, Tsumiki-chan…” Junko admitted, causing a furious blush to start spreading itself over the nurse’s cheeks once again. “And I’ll find some way to make you realize how important what you do is. How important _you_ are. That’s a promise.”

“You… You r-really don’t need to w-worry about that…” Mikan insisted.

“But I want to,” Junko replied. “Because I want to make you happy.” She stared into Mikan’s eyes for a few silent moments after that, and Mikan felt a tingle run down her spine as she stared back. The tingle grew even stronger as Junko leaned in to close the small distance that remained between them, allowing their lips to meet once again. Mikan squeaked out in surprise, but unlike last time, this wasn’t just a brief peck. Junko’s lips stayed against her own, and as the initial moment of shock wore off Mikan’s eyes slowly drifted shut, realizing that the other girl wasn’t going to pull away. She could feel Junko’s thumb brushing against her cheek, could feel the model’s other hand coming up to rest on her hip, and Mikan eventually lifted her own arms, draping them around Junko’s neck. She didn’t know how long the two of them stayed like that, locked in their embrace, but she didn’t care. It could have been seconds, it could have been an eternity. It was only when Junko finally broke their kiss that Mikan allowed herself to think again, burying her face into Junko’s shoulder as she realized that tears of delirious joy were streaming down her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Junko laughed softly, running her hand up the nurse’s spine and rubbing her back gently. “You’re happy, aren’t you, Mikan-chan?”

“Uh-h-huh,” Mikan choked out, only half-able to speak between her tears. “I’m h-happy. S-So happy, J-Junko-chan…”


	40. Chapter 40

The Hope’s Peak music room was overrun with noise. Which made sense, given what it was, although the sounds coming from the stage weren’t the sorts of sounds that someone might have expected to hear from a high school music room. Rather than a marching band, or a choir, or anything of the sort, the sound of a particularly angry guitar rang out over the speakers, rumbling and screeching accompanied by a low, angry voice, growling lyrics that were barely even intelligible over all the other noises. It wasn’t an unusual state to find the room in at this time of day.

Eventually the music came to a slow halt, and the girl holding the guitar stepped forward, outfit full of ripped up clothing and vibrant colors that matched her vibrant hair. She raised her hands above her head, fingers twisting into devil horns as she called out to the room in front of her.

“Thank you, thank you! You’ve been a wonderful audience!” she shouted, ears still ringing from the sound of her own performance. “Stay cool and don’t forget to tip your waitress!” And as she finished her speech, she was greeted by…

Silence. Always silence.

The room in front of Ibuki Mioda was empty. Just as it always had been. Just as it always was. When she stood on stage and closed her eyes and played her instruments she could imagine that there was a screaming crowd in front of her, that even a single person had come to listen to her play, but when she finished her set and opened those eyes back up she was always confronted by the same truth. Nobody ever came to see her perform. Nobody ever listened to the music she played. Why would they?

It had been this way ever since she had left her old group, ever since she had rejected the catchy beats and frilly outfits and mass-appeal lyrics for something that she actually believed in. She didn’t even necessarily hold anything against that sort of music, but it simply wasn’t  _ her _ . It wasn’t what she wanted to be known for. Everything felt so superficial, so devoid of real emotion or meaning, and that wasn’t what she thought music should be. She was sure that she could do better on her own.

And she had, in a sense. Her solo work had been enough to get her a title as the Super High School Level Musician, and to get her an acceptance letter to Hope’s Peak. But talent and success were two different things. And while the school had recognized her talent, the world at large hadn’t given her success. She had never found the same popularity that her old group had enjoyed. She had never found an audience to listen to the music that she poured her heart and soul into. She knew that what she played was so raw and aggressive and unapologetic that it wouldn’t appeal to everyone. But she had at least hoped that it would appeal to _someone_.

She was used to this, though. Ibuki had never played music for popularity, or for fame, or for anything else like that. She played her music because she wanted to. Because it made her happy. Because it was what she was passionate about, above all else. That was what she kept telling herself, anyway.

Despite all those thoughts, Ibuki couldn’t stop herself from letting out a sigh of disappointment as she walked back towards the wing of the stage, beginning to clean up the instruments and the speakers and the pyrotechnics that she had used during her performance for no one. The same as she always did. Set up, play, clean up, all without anyone ever watching her. Maybe tomorrow, she told herself. Maybe someone would finally come by tomorrow.

She had thought the same thing yesterday.


	41. Chapter 41

“God, this… Really hurts,” Akane grunted out, wincing as she put weight onto her ankle for the first time in ages.

“Y-You’re really not even supposed to b-be on it yet…”

“Tsumiki’s right! I admire your fighting spirit, but push yourself too hard and you’ll end up even worse than you started!”

“Well no one ever improved themselves by sittin’ around and not tryin'!” Akane retorted. Despite the determination that she was showing, though, this was a clear example of her mind being stronger than her body. She was standing next to the wall with one hand against it, distributing most of her weight between that and her good foot, and even then she was still in a clear bit of pain every time she put the slightest bit of weight on her other foot.

“Trying to w-walk on it too quickly could r-reinjure your ankle and make it even w-worse, though…” Mikan cautioned. She had been against doing this from the very beginning, but when Akane got an idea in her head, nobody would be able to stop her.  _ Especially  _  not someone as timid as Mikan.

“Well lyin’ in bed for too long’s just gonna let my muscles get all weak and end with me fallin’ outta practice!” Akane insisted. “I’ll be fiiine, don’t worry so much!” To prove that point she took another step forward on her injured foot, which only served to demonstrate that she wasn’t fine at all. The moment any real amount of weight ended up on her ankle Akane crumpled, plummeting down towards the floor. The only saving grace was that, before she actually hit the ground, she found a powerful arm slamming itself into the wall beside her, catching her before she ended up flat against the tile. Nekomaru didn’t look very happy about the situation.

“That’s it, Owari,” he stated, his tone taking on an unusual sternness. “Back in bed. Now.”

“C’mon coach,” Akane groaned, slowly forcing herself back to a standing position, and relying on Nekomaru’s help entirely too much as she did so. “It was just a little stumble, I’m fine.”

“That wasn’t a stumble, and I know a thing or two about stumbles!” he replied. “Now you’re gonna sit your ass back down in that bed and you’re gonna rest up until you’re ready to try again! I know it’s hard sitting still when you’ve got a fire burning inside you, but this just means you’re gonna have to keep that fire burning a little longer before you're ready to let it roar!”

“A-And, I’ll be here to h-help with your physical therapy as s-soon as it’s safe for you to d-do so…” Mikan volunteered as Akane was guided back to her bed. Despite the reassurances from her two friends, though, Akane’s spirits still seemed to be decidedly lower than usual. She didn’t say a word as she sat back down, pulling her blanket up over her legs to cover an ankle that was already starting to swell up a little bit from the misuse.

“Chin up Owari!” Nekomaru insisted, an enormous hand coming down on her shoulder. “Since when’ve you been the sort to get all quiet like this? You’re not letting that fire burn out already, are you?” And he did manage to succeed in getting her to speak. But when she did so, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“I’m not goin’ to nationals anymore… Am I, coach?” Akane asked. The tense silence that fell over the room the moment she said that was one of the most uncomfortable things that any of them had ever experienced. For once in his life Nekomaru wasn’t quite sure what to say, and when Mikan heard the dejected, hopeless tone of Akane’s voice, a deep guilt settled into her stomach. Because… She knew who was responsible for all of this, didn’t she? And even if saying that now wouldn’t actually make anything better, even if it wouldn’t magically heal Akane’s ankle or get her back on her feet any faster, it didn’t feel right to keep this sort of thing a secret either. But the thought of selling out Junko for what she had done…

No. Mikan couldn’t do that. Because even if Junko’s actions had had these horrible results, she had done them for a good reason, right? And she had promised that it wouldn’t happen again! Nobody else would end up injured, Junko had said so herself! So what would telling Akane now even accomplish? There wouldn’t be any point to it, and it would only cause even more unnecessary pain and drama. And besides… Mikan couldn’t imagine betraying Junko’s trust like that. She just couldn’t.

“Of course you are!” Nekomaru ended up being the one to break the silence, and he did so in a hell of a way, pounding his free fist against the wall for emphasis. “You really think we’re gonna let one little setback stop us? Hell no!” he insisted. “You’re gonna go to nationals and you’re gonna win, just like I trained you!” But despite his enthusiasm and energy, the words felt empty. And judging from the silence that remained in the room even after he was done speaking, it didn’t seem that anyone actually believed him.


	42. Chapter 42

Note after note came screaming out of Ibuki’s guitar, filling the music room with the familiar sounds of one of her songs. Her fingers were sore from plucking at the strings, and her throat was starting to ache from how long she had been singing, but there was no way she was going to quit halfway through a song. Besides, she was used to this. Every single day she did the same thing, playing until she got to the point where she felt like she couldn’t play any longer. Which, for Ibuki, could be hours.

Eventually the song she had been performing came to a close, and Ibuki stood still on stage as she listened to the last note reverberate throughout the room. Her eyes were still shut as she took a moment to catch her breath, allowing herself one more moment to bask in the glory of the fake crowd in her mind before she snapped back to reality. And then she heard something she wasn’t used to hearing.

Clapping. Somebody was clapping for her.

It was only a single person, Ibuki could tell, but someone was actually clapping. The surprise was visible on Ibuki’s face as she opened up her eyes, and as they fell on the scrawny blonde girl that was standing there in front of, still slowly clapping her hands together. Maybe a rockstar like herself shouldn’t have been so shocked at actually having an audience, but she couldn’t remember the last time this had happened.

“Aw, don’t tell me I came in right at the end,” the girl commented. “I’ll be disappointed if it turns out I already missed the whole show.”

“Of course not!” Ibuki replied, quickly regaining her stage presence as she put a grin on her face and flashed a thumbs up towards her new fan. “That was just a warmup!” It wasn’t a warmup. She had been playing for close to two hours at this point. But who was she to turn away a fan who wanted to hear more?

“Oh, yay!” the girl replied, a smile stretching over her face as she walked over towards one of the benches, perching herself on the edge of it and looking up towards the stage. “I just happened to be walking by outside when I heard you playing. You’re like, really good, you know.”

“Heh, really?” Ibuki asked, grin growing even wider. “Most people think Ibuki’s music is too loud and scary!”

“Ibuki…?”

“Me!” she explained. “Ibuki Mioda! Super High School Level Musician!”

“So you’re a good enough musician for it to be your talent and there are  _ still  _ people who don’t recognize how good you are?” the other girl asked, raising an eyebrow. “That seems pretty ignorant of them.”

“Nah, I’m used to it!” Ibuki insisted. Even if it did still hurt at times. “Ibuki’s music isn’t for everyone! I’d rather play music that’s loud and aggressive and real even it scares some people than music that doesn’t mean anything!”

“Don’t you ever get tired of it though?” her audience of one asked. “I mean, how often are you in here all by yourself, playing to nobody? Doesn’t that kinda suck?”

“Eh?” Ibuki responded, energetic disposition faltering for just a moment. “Well, maybe a little… But Ibuki doesn’t play for anyone else!” she insisted, finding her enthusiasm just as quickly as it had left her. “She just plays because she wants to! And if they wanna listen then they can listen. So listen up!” she declared, pointing a finger out towards the girl sitting just shy of the stage. “Because Ibuki Mioda’s about to rock your socks off!”

“Alright,” the girl replied, leaning back in her seat and tapping her bright red nails against the edge of it while a grin spread over her face. “I’m ready. Blow me away, Mioda-san.”


	43. Chapter 43

“And then she stayed through the entire rest of Ibuki’s set! She even started headbanging along with the songs at one point! She was the best!”

“Yeah right,” Hiyoko replied, rolling her eyes at the story Ibuki was telling. “We all know you’re just making this up. Nobody  _ ever _ comes to watch you play.”

“Eh?? Ibuki isn’t lying!” she insisted. “She wouldn’t lie about something like this! She totally had a cute supermodel underclassman come to watch her play!”

“S-Supermodel…?” Mikan interrupted, looking up towards Ibuki with a surprised expression on her face. “Are you t-talking about… Junko-chan…?”

“Yeah! You know her??” Ibuki asked. Mikan’s face flushed a bit when she was asked that, and suddenly she was looking back down at her own lap, pushing her fingertips together and fiddling with them nervously while a small smile crossed over her face. She hadn’t actually told anyone this yet, but…

“Mhmm,” Mikan squeaked out. “She’s k-kind of… My… G-Girlfriend…”

“Wha-???” Ibuki blurted out, although before she had the chance to say anything else Hiyoko had grabbed hold of the conversation, as she so often did, shoving herself right up into Mikan’s face.

“Don’t fucking lie to us, you dirty bitch!” she huffed. Mikan squealed in response, recoiling away from Hiyoko and putting her arms up in front of herself.

“I’m not l-lyi-!”

“Yes you are!” Hiyoko insisted. “I’ve met Enoshima too, and she’s  _ way _ too cool for a crybaby like you. There’s no way she’d wanna go out with a pig-nosed bitch when she could totally have anyone else she wants!”

“B-But she really is-”

“How pathetic do you have to be to lie about something like this?” Hiyoko insisted. “If you’re gonna make up a fake girlfriend to seem less unlovable at least  _ try  _ to make it believable.”

“Hold on Hiyoko-chan!” Ibuki interjected. “Ibuki thinks she’s telling the truth! Mikan-chan’s always been honest!”

“Huh? You bel-lieve me?” Mikan asked, sheepishly looking up towards Ibuki. The poor girl already had tears welling up in her eyes yet again.

“Yeah! Because Mikan-chan’s nose isn’t growing!” Ibuki declared. “So she can’t be a liar!”

“You know that’s not actually real, right?” Hiyoko huffed. “Do you seriously not know the difference between reality and fairy tales?”

“There is no difference if you believe hard enough!”

“Oh my  _ god _ ,” Hiyoko groaned. “If you’re dating her then how come you didn’t say anything about it until now, huh?” she asked, turning her attention back towards Mikan. “That seems  _ awfully  _ convenient.”

“Well.. I was w-worried…” Mikan admitted softly.

“Huh?? Worried??” Ibuki repeated.

“Y-Yeah…” Mikan went on. “I didn’t wanna say anything, b-because… I was w-worried she might get t-tired of me…”

“She still will,” Hiyoko insisted.

“Hiyoko-chan!” Ibuki gasped. “You shouldn’t say things like that! You’ll jinx it!”

“N-No, it’s okay… Saionji-san can s-say whatever she wants…” Mikan said. “Because, even if she doesn’t believe m-me… I know Junko-chan cares about me.” Hiyoko was quiet for a few seconds after Mikan said that, although it was clear from the look on her face that she wasn’t very happy about what she had just heard. She was used to Mikan sitting there and taking anything that was thrown at her, but now, she was actually fighting back? No, it was worse than that. She wasn’t fighting back. She was just… Ignoring it. As if Hiyoko’s comments didn’t even bother her at all. Hiyoko didn’t like that.

“Whatever,” she huffed, standing up and turning to face the door. “Sooner or later Enoshima’s gonna realize what a pathetic, smelly piece of dogshit you are, and this is all gonna blow up in your face. So don’t come crying all over my shoulder when it does!”

“D-Don’t worry,” Mikan replied. “I won’t.”


	44. Chapter 44

“Check it out! I grew a whole centimeter since the last time I measured!”

“That’s great, Hiyoko-chan,” Mahiru replied, laughing softly. “Maybe you’re finally having that growth spurt that you’ve been waiting for for so long.” Mahiru had still been distant recently. With everything that had been going, with Fuyuhiko and Peko and Junko, she had been avoiding most of her friends, and had been keeping to herself whenever possible. But throughout all of that, Hiyoko still wouldn’t take no for an answer. No matter how hard Mahiru tried to isolate herself, or insisted that she wanted to be alone, Hiyoko was the one person that would keep bashing down her door and forcing herself into Mahiru’s life. And maybe, right now, that was what Mahiru needed. One person who wouldn’t let her shut herself off and wallow in her despair. One person who would allow things to keep feeling normal, no matter what happened.

“I told you it would happen sooner or later,” Hiyoko snickered, waving her hand over the top of her head a few more times before walking over and sitting down across from Mahiru.

“You’re making it sound like I ever doubted you,” Mahiru replied, a genuine smile crossing over her face for the first time in quite a while. “I figured it would happen eventually. It was just a question of when." Mahiru went quiet for a moment after that, before her expression turned slightly more serious, and she changed the topic to something else that was on her mind. “Hey… How have the others been recently?”

“The others?” Hiyoko repeated, tilting her head at Mahiru.

“Yeah. Like Mikan-chan and Ibuki-chan. I… haven’t really been talking to them that much recently,” she admitted. Which was something that she did feel a bit bad about, but with everything else that was going on, who could really blame her? The question made Hiyoko’s face scrunch up a little bit though, reminded of the conversation that she had been having the day before.

“Well, Tsumiki won’t shut up about that new girlfriend of hers,” Hiyoko muttered, clearly disgusted that she had to say something like that in the first place. This was news to Mahiru, however, and when Hiyoko mentioned Mikan dating someone she quirked an eyebrow.

“Mikan-chan has a girlfriend now?” she asked, before a small smile returned to her face. “Well… Good for her. Do you know who she is?”

“That’s the crazy part,” Hiyoko replied. “It’s that underclassman supermodel, Enoshima. You know her, right?” The moment Mahiru heard that name her blood ran cold. Her eyes went wide, heart jumping up into her throat, and she felt like she had broken out into a sweat in the span of a single second.

“Enoshima?” she managed to repeat. “ _ Junko _ Enoshima? Mikan-chan’s dating her??” The sense of urgency was apparent in Mahiru’s voice now, and she moved closer to the edge of her seat, looking like she was about to jump up at any moment.

“I know! It’s so weird, right?” Hiyoko asked, apparently not grasping the weight of the situation in the same way that Mahiru was. “Enoshima’s actually cool, and super famous too! Why would she wanna date someone like Tsumiki?”

“No, no no no no no,” Mahiru said, shaking her head as she was suddenly back on her feet. “I- I need to go. I need to do something about this.”

“Huh?” Hiyoko grunted out. If Mahiru had been shocked she would have understood it, but this wasn’t the sort of reaction that she had been expecting at all. “Why’re you freaking out over this? I know it’s weird, but-”

“No, this is bad,” Mahiru insisted. “This is- This is really, really bad. I need to find her. I need to go talk to Mikan-chan,” she insisted, hurriedly starting to move away from Hiyoko and making her way towards the door.

“Hey, hang on!” Hiyoko protested, reaching out and trying to grab onto Mahiru’s skirt as the other girl moved past her. “You’re just gonna ditch me like this? In the middle of a conversation?”

“I’m sorry. I am. But this- This is really bad, Hiyoko-chan. I need to go!” She pulled herself away from Hiyoko as she said that, able to break free from the small girl’s grip without too much effort so that she could start booking it towards the door once again.

“Why have you been acting so weird lately??” Hiyoko demanded, twisting around and leaning over the back of her chair as she watched Mahiru try to run away. “You’ve been avoiding everyone, and whenever I do manage to get you to hang out you just jump up and ditch me halfway through anyway! What gives??”

“I’m sorry,” Mahiru repeated. “I just- I need to go. I’ll explain everything later, I promise. But I need to go.” And before Hiyoko had the chance to say anything else, or to try to stop her, Mahiru had disappeared from the room. Hiyoko stared at the empty doorway for a few more seconds after that before slumping back down into her chair, crossing her arms and huffing quietly. Sato was dead, Mahiru was acting weird, Mikan apparently had a new girlfriend. Had Ibuki seriously somehow turned into the most consistent person in her life? What the hell was going on?


	45. Chapter 45

Mahiru’s stomach was twisting itself into knots as she approached Mikan’s door. There was still a part of her that was hoping that Hiyoko had somehow been wrong, that there was nothing going on between Mikan and Junko, but she knew that it was probably a waste of her time to even entertain that thought. Junko had made it clear that this was the sort of thing that she was more than capable of, and while she didn’t know exactly what the fashionista’s motivation might have been in dating Mikan, she knew that it couldn’t possibly be anything good.

As soon as she reached Mikan’s room Mahiru was pounding on the door as loudly as she could, fidgeting impatiently back and forth and praying that the nurse was actually there at the moment. Fortunately she wasn’t kept waiting long, and after just a few seconds the door opened up, showing a somewhat startled looking Mikan standing there.

“K-Koziumi-san?” she asked, seeming rather surprised to see the other girl. And after how secluded Mahiru had been recently, she sort of was. She hadn’t been expecting a visit like this.

“I need to talk to you,” Mahiru replied, wasting no time in getting right to her point. “Hiyoko-chan told me that you’re… dating Enoshima. Is that true?” If Mikan had been surprised to see Mahiru standing there in the first place, she was even more surprised to see how serious her friend seemed at the moment, and to hear what it was that she wanted to talk about. At the question Mikan hesitated, before hanging her head and nodding sheepishly.

“I-I am…” she admitted softly. “A-Are you upset I didn’t t-tell you?” she asked. “P-Please, forgive me! I d-didn’t want to keep it a s-secret! I j-just-”

“No, it’s not that,” Mahiru interrupted, shaking her head. “I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me. But… You can’t do this. You can’t be with her.” Those words shocked Mikan, and her head quickly came back up, looking Mahiru in the eyes as she tried to process what she had just heard.

“I… W-What?” she stammered out.

“I don’t know what she wants with you. But you can’t do this,” Mahiru repeated. “She’s using you somehow. She’s planning something, I know it.”

“N-No,” Mikan protested, quickly beginning to shake her head. “Junko-chan w-wouldn’t-”

“Mikan!” Mahiru interrupted. “Listen to what you’re saying! Think about who we’re talking about here! This is the same girl who got Peko-chan stabbed! The same one who nearly got me killed! Why do you trust her all of a sudden?”

“B-Because I know why she did those th-things!” Mikan was starting to shake at this point, raising her own voice now that Mahiru had raised hers, and she had shut her eyes tightly so that she wouldn’t have to look at Mahiru while she spoke. “Sh-She did those things bec-cause she wanted to h-help me! She w-wanted me to p-practice my talent, and b-become more c-c-confident! And she p-promised it w-wouldn’t happen a-anymore!”

“And you believe her??” Mahiru snapped back. “You actually believe that she’ll keep that promise after everything she’s already done? You seriously trust her??”

“Sh-She cares about me!” Mikan insisted. “Sh-She wouldn’t b-break that p-promise!”

“She would!” Mahiru shouted. “She would and she’s going to! You can’t-!”

“SHUT UP!” Mahiru was taken aback by the sudden outburst, the sudden increase in volume, and she found herself recoiling away from Mikan slightly as a result of it. The nurse’s eyes were open again at this point, glaring into Mahiru, nostrils flaring out as she started yanking at her own hair. “Why are you so against this??” she screamed, anger boiling forth out of nowhere. “Why can’t you just let me be happy for once?? I finally found someone who actually cares about me, who’s happy to be with me, and the moment I tell you about it you start trying to undermine me and tear me away from her!”

“I’m not doing this to hurt you!” Mahiru tried to interject. “I’m doing this to-!”

“Bullshit!” Mikan screamed back. “I should’ve known you would do this! As soon as I told Saionji about Junko-chan she started insulting me and calling me a liar, but I thought that if anyone would be happy for me it would be you! I should have known better though! I should have known you would never disagree with her on anything!”

“Mikan-chan, that’s not-!”

“Yes it FUCKING IS!” she shrieked. “You always side with her! You always stand there and let her treat me like shit, and you never do anything about it! If there’s anyone here I can’t trust, it’s YOU!”

“Mikan!” But before Mahiru could say anything else the door had been slammed in her face, and she found herself standing there in the hallway alone once again. She started to raise a hand to knock again, but she knew that there would be no point to it. She wasn’t going to be able to get through to Mikan now. Which meant that there was only one way to stop what was happening: she needed to take Junko down directly.


	46. Chapter 46

Mikan let out a quiet, peaceful sigh as the light of the TV screen flickered across her face. Her head was resting in Junko’s lap, and she could feel the model’s fingers brushing through her hair. On the screen itself, a horror movie was playing- a hobby of Mikan’s that tended to surprise most other people. With how skittish and scared she tended to be in her day to day life nobody expected her to enjoy slasher flicks, but apparently the nurse’s morbid, medical fascination with gore outweighed any fear she might have felt towards the genre.

“You know…” Mikan said softly, watching a particularly gruesome scene play out on the screen. “This isn’t very realistic. He would already be dead.”

“Oh yeah?” Junko asked, a little smile spreading over her lips as she looked down at the girl in her lap.

“Mhmm,” Mikan replied. “Getting hit in the head that hard would kill someone instantly. Not just knock them over.” Her voice was still soft, not rising above its normal volume, but there was an eerie calmness to it as she spoke. In actuality it simply stemmed from confidence- Mikan always seemed more at ease when she was talking about medical issues. It was a subject that she understood. But when she spoke about a horror movie with that calm, almost detached tone of voice, it created a rather unsettling effect. Not that it seemed to bother Junko.

“You sure know a lot about this sort of stuff, don’t you?” she laughed. “Who knew I was dating such a genius?” That comment alone made Mikan blush a bit, smiling like an idiot, and it only became even more pronounced when Junko leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of Mikan’s head. At that point the nurse’s face started burning up, and she squeaked out, burying her face into Junko’s leg for a moment before slowly lifting her head back up.

“Um… J-Junko-chan…?” she asked sheepishly, causing Junko to tilt her head.

“Hm? Is something wrong?”

“I… Can I a-ask you something…?” Mikan replied, sitting up straight and bringing herself to eye level with her girlfriend.

“Of course, babe,” Junko replied. “What’s on your mind?” Junko’s hand had fallen from Mikan’s hair as the nurse had sat up, but it now came to rest at Mikan’s knee, rubbing it in a gentle, reassuring manner as she listened to the other girl speak.

“Well… I… Koizumi-san c-came by to talk to me earlier…” Mikan admitted. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap now, fidgeting with the edge of her skirt, and simply hearing that name caused a slight frown to appear on Junko’s features.

“I see…” she replied. “What did she want to talk to you about?”

“It… It was about y-you…” Mikan said, confirming the suspicion that Junko already held. “She tried to t-tell me that I can’t trust you. That you’ll end up h-hurting me somehow. B-But! I know you would n-never do that!” she hastily added on, head suddenly whipping up, eyes pulling themselves away from her own lap to meet Junko’s gaze. She almost seemed afraid, as if simply saying that Mahiru had said those things would anger Junko. Junko, however, didn’t seem upset at all. Or at least, not angry. Rather than getting mad she let out a small sigh, reaching out to wrap her arms around her girlfriend and pull her closer.

“I don’t blame her for thinking those things…” Junko admitted. Hearing that came as a surprise to Mikan, and as her head came to rest against Junko’s shoulder she tried to crane her neck around, looking up towards her.

“Y-You don’t…?”

“No,” Junko replied, shaking her head. “I mean… I’ve done a lot of bad things in the past. She’s right about that much.”

“B-But you’re not like that anymore! That was b-before!”

“I know,” Junko said, rubbing Mikan’s back while she spoke. “And I’m glad you know that. I’m glad you trust me. But… I can’t blame her for not seeing things that way.”

“B-But she… She said you…”

“She’s worried about you, Mikan-chan. I can’t blame her for that. And you shouldn’t either,” Junko added on, her hand running up Mikan’s back while the two of them talked. “She’s just trying to look out for you.”

“I w-want her to trust you, though…” Mikan protested.

“I know. I’d like that too. But there’s no way to force it. For now just remember that she’s trying to do what she thinks is best for you. And maybe she’ll come around eventually.”

“O-Okay…”

“And… Promise me one thing,” Junko added on.

“Of course!” Mikan quickly replied, lifting her head to gaze up at Junko. “A-Anything!”

“Promise that no matter what anyone else says, I can at least count on you to trust me.”

“O-Of course, Junko-chan,” Mikan repeated, burying her face back into her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’ll a-always trust you…”

“Good,” Junko replied, head coming to rest against Mikan’s as she pulled the girl against her even more tightly. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you on my side, Mikan-chan…”


	47. Chapter 47

“You’re sure this will actually work?”

“Not even fuckin’ slightly. But I don’t see anyone else coming up with any brilliant plans.”

“But Peko-chan is still injured-”

“Not so badly that I cannot fulfill my duties. If bocchan believes this plan to be for the best, I agree with him.”

“Dammit,” Fuyuhiko groaned out, resting his head in his hand as he leaned forward over the table. “No matter how we cut it this is gonna be a real shitshow, isn’t it?”

“Probably,” Mahiru reluctantly agreed from the other side of the table, before turning her attention towards Peko. “Do you actually think you’ll be able to handle-”

“Choose your words real fuckin’ carefully here,” Fuyuhiko interrupted. But Peko was quick to interject as well, shaking her head and speaking on her own behalf.

“No, it is alright,” she insisted. “Koizumi is correct. The last time we met, I was not able to defend myself against Enoshima’s sister. And with my current injuries, it is even more unlikely that I will pose a threat to her.”

“But we don’t need you killing her,” Fuyuhiko pointed out. “Just stalling her long enough for the rest of us to get through.”

“I am aware,” Peko replied. “But she remains dangerous. Dangerous enough that there is a large possibility this distraction will be my final service to you, bocchan.”

“Dammit!” Fuyuhiko snapped, pounding his fist against the table. “Don’t you fucking dare talk like that!”

“It is not a concern of mine,” Peko replied, her face remaining perfectly stoic despite Fuyuhiko’s outburst. “This is a cause I am perfectly willing to lay my life down for.”

“Well you’re not gonna have to! I already lost Natsumi! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you get-!”

“Kuzuryuu!” Mahiru snapped, causing Fuyuhiko’s gaze to whip back across the table.

“What, you got somethin’ to say now?” he spat. “It was your little friend’s fault she’s gone, so I recommend you think real fuckin’ hard before you say anything else.”

“And you already got your revenge for that,” Mahiru retorted. “You killed my best friend, but I’m not sitting here throwing that in your face. We’ll have plenty of time for that once we’ve dealt with  _ this _ .” Fuyuhiko stared back at Mahiru in silence for a few seconds after the photographer finished speaking, before slowly lowering himself back down into his seat.

“You’ve got a lot of fuckin’ nerve talking to a Yakuza like that,” he growled out. “That’s gonna get you killed one of these days.”

“That’s fine,” Mahiru replied. “As long as I outlive  _ her _ , I don’t care.” With that she stood up from her own seat, looking down at Fuyuhiko and Peko one more time. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” she asked. “Or are we ready?”

“Ready?” Fuyuhiko repeated. “You make it sound like we’re going right now. I still need time to get everything together.”

“How much time?”

“Two or three days. I’ll let you know when it’s time.”

“Fine,” Mahiru replied, turning and walking towards the door. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”


	48. Chapter 48

“ _...was assassinated during a public appearance outside the royal palace. The prince was killed by a single bullet, fired by an unknown assailant from an unknown location. Federal law enforcement confirmed that no arrests have been made yet, however…_ ”

Sonia’s blood ran cold as she listened to the news report coming from the television in front of her. For a few seconds she felt frozen in place, so paralyzed by the shock that she couldn’t even move or speak.

And then the overwhelming panic began to set in. Her body was overcome by violent shaking, and it was all she could do to stumble back towards her bed before she collapsed to the floor completely.

Even as she leaned back against her bed, her brain still didn’t know how to process the information that she had just heard. Even if she had never met him, she recognized his name and face, and the name of his kingdom. The prince that she was meant to be married to was dead, killed in the middle of an enormous crowd by an unseen sniper. And how was she supposed to feel about that? Death was horrible, in any sense, and the loss of an innocent life for the furthering of some political agenda made her stomach churn. She knew that the death of a leader always threw a country into turmoil as well, and that his kingdom would be struggling to recover from this in the immediate future. It was a terrible act, in every sense of the word.

So was it wrong for some small part of her to feel relieved?

Even before she had asked that question to herself, Sonia already knew that the answer was yes. There was no situation in which she could allow herself to feel anything positive over the death of an innocent. Even if that innocent was someone she was going to be forced to marry. And even if his death, quite obviously, meant that she would no longer have to do that. It was still a horrific act, and one that would likely have ramifications for her own country and her own people as well. No part of this was a positive. Not even if it gave her back her future.

Her future…

As that thought crossed Sonia’s mind she was struck by a second realization, perhaps even more horrific than the first. Suddenly her mind was back in the library several days prior, recalling the conversation she had with Junko, the model’s words running through her mind all over again. “ _But just you wait. I promise you, everything’s gonna turn out just fine…_ ”

Was that even a possibility? All logic told Sonia that, no, there was no way a high school supermodel would be capable of doing something like this. Not even one as famous and well-connected as Junko Enoshima. And yet, there was a part of her that couldn’t dispel the thoughts entirely. The way Junko had spoken, she sounded so confident, like she knew something. It hadn’t struck Sonia as odd at the time, seeing them as nothing more than hollow words of reassurance, the same sorts of things that anyone would say when they had another person crying in their arms. But now, she couldn’t help but feel as though the words had taken on a far more sinister tone. It felt absolutely foolish to think that Junko could have actually orchestrated something like this. And yet…

Speak of the devil. Just as these thoughts had begun to enter Sonia’s mind she heard her phone begin to ring. And as she looked over towards it, she saw Junko’s own name lighting up on the screen. A lump formed in Sonia’s throat as she debated whether or not to answer, hand frozen halfway between picking her phone up and ignoring it. But despite any fear she might have felt, her curiosity was greater. If Junko had, somehow, been involved in this, that was a truth that she needed to know. So she forced herself to reach out the rest of the way and pick up the phone, a lump forming in her throat as she tried to answer.

“Enoshima-san-” she started to stay, although before she could speak any further she was cut off by the voice on the other end.

“Hey. You already saw the news, I take it, yeah?” So Junko knew. Sonia’s suspicions were mounting.

“I did. I-”

“Are you alright?” The question, simple as it was, caught Sonia completely off guard. She had already been ready to make her accusation, or at the very least to ask whether Junko had any involvement in what had happened. But now, instead, Junko was just… Checking on her. Making sure that she was alright. Doing what a friend was supposed to do.

“I- No,” Sonia ended up choking out, voice cracking in that single moment. Suddenly, she felt horrible for even jumping to the conclusion that Junko could have been involved in this in the first place. They were friends, weren’t they? She was supposed to have more faith in her friends.

“Hey, shhh…” Junko’s voice came from the other end, gentle and reassuring. “Are you in your room? Do you want me to come over there?”

“Y-Yes,” Sonia replied. “I… I would like that. Very much.”

“Just stay there. I’ll be there in five minutes,” Junko promised. With that the beeping sound in Sonia’s ear told her that the call had come to an end, and the princess crumpled over on her bed, finally breaking down into the sobs that she had felt too numb to let out for the past few minutes. First, a small part of her brain, no matter how much she had tried to silence it, had wanted to celebrate the death of an innocent boy, simply because it had benefited her. And then she had been ready to blame her own friend for something as heinous as murder, despite the fact that there was no reason at all to actually suspect her.

What sort of horrible person was she turning into?


	49. Chapter 49

“I didn’t think I would be hearing back from you so soon. You’ve got a lot of guts, calling me up like this.”

“I need to talk to you.”

“I figured you would, sooner or later. Is this about Kuzuryuu-senpai?”

“...Something like that.”

“Starting to realize that you really can’t get along with him after all?”

“Can I meet with you or not?”

“Alright, alright, jeez. Where are you?”

“The old building. Right outside the main entrance.”

“I’ll be there in ten.” Mahiru breathed out a sigh of relief as the call ended, looking down at Junko’s name as it hung on her screen for a few more seconds before vanishing. Shaking hands tucked her phone back into her pocket, and she raised her eyes up towards Fuyuhiko, finding him staring right back at her.

“She’s coming?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Mahiru replied, nodding solemnly. “She should already be on her way.”

“And her sister?” Peko chimed in. “Did Enoshima mention whether she would be here as well?”

“She didn’t say. But we should probably assume.”

“Right,” Fuyuhiko agreed. “Me and Peko’ll get out of sight. But before we do, I got something for you.” Mahiru’s brow creased when she heard that, and she watched Fuyuhiko reach down inside the blazer that he was wearing. She nearly launched herself into a panic as she saw him pull out a small handgun, although that immediate jolt of fear left her when she realized that he was holding it out to her grip-first. Even then, though, she didn’t immediately reach to take it, instead looking back up at him with a stern, perplexed expression on her face.

“Why are you giving this to me?” she asked. “We said-”

“Yeah, I know what we said,” Fuyuhiko interrupted. “But if this all goes to shit like it’s probably gonna, you’ll wanna have this with you.”

“I wouldn’t even know how to use it,” Mahiru insisted.

“It’s easy. See this part right here?” he asked, brushing his thumb over the safety. “Make sure it’s off, then pull the trigger. It’s that fuckin’ simple.”

“Even then, I couldn’t-”

“You’re gonna,” Fuyuhiko interrupted again, somewhat forcibly pushing the gun into Mahiru’s hand. “You already nearly got yourself killed once because you didn’t come at me with everything you had. I’m not letting you pull that shit again, ‘specially not once you’ve dragged the rest of us into this. If it comes down to it you’re gonna point that gun at Enoshima, and you’re gonna pull the fucking trigger. Got it?” Mahiru’s mouth had gone dry at the mere thought of that, and she could feel the lump forming in her throat, but she knew that Fuyuhiko was right about this all the same. There wasn't any other choice. So, reluctantly, she forced herself to nod, taking the gun from his grip.

“Yeah. Alright,” she agreed.

“Besides, you won’t even need to if shit all goes according to plan,” Fuyuhiko added on, turning his back to Mahiru as he started to walk back down towards the path. “Course, that’s a pretty fuckin’ big if. C’mon Peko,” he said, turning his attention towards the other girl. “Let’s get in place.”

“Of course,” Peko agreed, nodding as she started to follow Fuyuhiko. Before long the two of them rounded the corner of the path, disappearing from view, and leaving Mahiru alone with the gun that she had been handed. It felt heavy in her grip, surely more heavy than it actually was, but she quickly realized that it wouldn’t do to be holding it out in the open like that when Junko arrived. Simply tucking it into her pocket and trying to pretend it wasn't there didn’t seem like the safest option, but at the moment, it was probably the only option that she actually had. She hadn’t had the foresight to wear an outfit that would make it easy to conceal a weapon. She hadn't thought that she would need to.

Even after the gun was stuffed down into her pocket Mahiru was still painfully aware of the weight against her side. She couldn’t help but feel like the strange lump sitting against her hip was so incredibly obvious, plaguing her with the fear that Junko was going to notice it the moment that she arrived.

Each second that ticked past as Mahiru stood there waiting felt like an hour, putting her more and more on edge. Her fingers were freezing, as if there were no blood running to them at all, and she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking, no matter how hard she tried. But how could she not be nervous about something like this? She was entering into a kill or be killed situation, and neither of those were outcomes that her life had prepared her for. When she had confronted Fuyuhiko, she had the advantage of hopelessness on her side: she didn’t care what happened to her. She didn’t care if she lived or died. She had simply wanted her revenge, even if it killed her. But now, she had a reason to succeed. If she didn’t stop Junko here, there was no telling what the girl would go on to do. To Mahiru’s friends. To the rest of the school. To the rest of the world. It wasn’t hope. It was fear of failure. And that terrified her.

Despite the fact that Mahiru felt like she had been waiting for years, Junko was actually surprisingly punctual, the sound of heels clacking against the brick path announcing her presence almost precisely ten minutes after their call had ended. Mahiru turned to look towards the source of the noise, coming to find the fashionista approaching her with an enormous, triumphant grin plastered over her face.

“I figured you would come back to me sooner or later,” Junko announced as she approached Mahiru. “But I really didn’t think that it would be so soon! Trying to get along with your little gangster friend got old that fast, huh?”

“Y-Yeah,” Mahiru replied, suddenly aware of the weight of the gun in her pocket all over again. “I can’t- I can’t get along with him. I can’t work with him.”

“I figured as much,” Junko hummed. “I mean, after all the shit you two put each other through, did you really expect to be able to put aside your differences just like that?”

“No,” Mahiru ended up admitting, shaking her head. “I guess not…”

“And let me guess,” Junko went on. “You’ve called me here because you want my help, right? You want me to deal with him for you.”

“Yeah,” Mahiru said again, carefully avoiding eye contact with Junko. “That’s right.”

“Well?” Junko prompted. “What’s in it for me?” The question gave Mahiru a moment of pause, but in the end she gave the answer that she was prepared to give, and the one that she knew Junko would want to hear.

“Anything you want.”

“Anything I want,” Junko repeated, touching her fingertip to her chin as she thought that over. “Well, I guess I could always make you one of my underlings. Get you to swear your loyalty and carry out my every whim. Help me with all my grand schemes for world domination. That would be pretty be nice. Only problem with that is…” she trailed off, suddenly pushing her fingertip against Mahiru’s own chin, lifting the other girl’s head so that she was forced to look Junko in the eyes. “I don’t have room in my ranks for a traitorous little bitch like you.” The instant Mahiru heard that her body tensed up, and the brief moment that it took for her to catch herself was probably already enough to ruin any chance that she might have had of doubling down on the lie that she was about to tell.

“T-Traitorous?” she stammered out. “What are you-”

“How fucking stupid do you think I am?” Junko demanded. “Like, did you really think this was gonna work on me? You might as well have just sent me a text that said ‘Hey! Come down to the old building, we’ve got a really cool trap set for you! Make sure to come alone, and wear something bright and reflective so you’re easier to hit!’ Honestly, this is like trap-laying fundamentals and you’re already fucking it all up.”

“I- I don’t-” Mahiru continued to stammer, despite the fact that she knew she was beyond the point of salvaging any part of her ruse by now.

“You don’t?” Junko mocked. “Come on. Did you really think this would fool me? Do you really think I don’t already know exactly where your little buddies are hanging out, waiting to get a good angle on me? Mukuro-chaaaaan!” she called out, and what happened next felt like a blur, even to the trained eye of the Super High School Level Photographer.

The sound of a gun going off was louder than anything that Mahiru had ever been prepared for. She couldn’t tell where the noise had come from, or even how far away it had actually been, but it was enough to make her flinch, and to leave a powerful ringing in her ears. She couldn’t tell where the bullet had gone either, although the pained scream that cut through the air a fraction of a second later answered that question. “PEKO!” She could hear Fuyuhiko’s voice coming from somewhere in the woods. And, somewhere in the middle of it all, some part of Mahiru’s brain had the sense to pull the gun from her pocket, clutching it tightly in both hands and pointing it towards Junko.

“Hmm?” came Junko’s response, an eyebrow raising as she looked at the gun being pointed at her. “Well, isn’t this interesting?” she chuckled, a smile tugging at her lips. “I have to admit, I didn’t see this part coming. So what now, Koizumi-senpai? Is this the part where you kill me?”

“You- You’ve hurt everyone,” Mahiru stammered out. “Everyone that I care about. All of my friends. Mikan-chan…”

“Koizumi!” She could heard Fuyuhiko’s voice coming from somewhere in the woods, screaming at her, even though she couldn’t see him. “Do it!”

“Sounds like your little friend really wants you to pull that trigger,” Junko pointed out.

“If- If we don’t stop you here,” Mahiru went on, hands shaking as she held the gun out in front of her. “If we don’t do something-”

“You know, this is kind of ironic,” Junko hummed. “You’ve been behind a camera all your life and suddenly it seems like you’ve forgotten how to shoot someone.”

“Sh-Shut up!” Mahiru snapped back, hands tightening around the grip of the weapon.

“Would it help if I posed for you?” Junko asked. “Smiled a little bit? I  _ am _ a model, you know. I can do it.”

“I said SHUT UP!” she yelled again.

“I’m just trying to help,” Junko insisted. “You seem like you’re awfully trigger-shy all of a sudden.”

“Koizumi!” Fuyuhiko’s voice came from the woods again. “What are you waiting for??”

“What  _ are _ you waiting for?”

“Do it!”

“Do it,” Junko repeated.

“Shoot her!”

“Shoot me!”

“PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER!”

So she did.


	50. Chapter 50

Mahiru had thought that the sound of a gun going off had been loud enough when it was somewhere farther away. And to be fair, it had been. But having it go off when it was in her own hands like that, just a foot away from her face, it was positively deafening. It was the only thing that she could hear, immediately drowning out all of the screaming that had been assaulting her from every direction just before that. Suddenly the only noise was the ringing in her ears, shutting out everything else.

Between that and the fact that she had ended up closing her eyes as she pulled the trigger, there were a few seconds where felt completely and truly isolated. She could feel the way the gun recoiled in her grip as it fired, and the weight of the metal in her hands after the fact, but that was the only thing she could sense. No sight. No sound. No consequences. Everything was black, and quiet, and still, and calm.

Bit by bit, though, it started to come back to her. As the ringing gradually began to fade, she came to realize that Fuyuhiko was still there somewhere, screaming at her from the distance. His words were blurring together, though, impossible to actually focus on. Instead, Mahiru’s attention was commandeered by something else: heavy, ragged breathing coming from right in front of her, somehow managing to sound far louder than the screaming itself.

Slowly, Mahiru forced herself to open her eyes, needing to see what had happened. As soon as she did her vision fell upon Junko, still standing there in front of her. She was hunched over slightly, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath that she took, clutching at her shoulder. From underneath her hand blood was streaming forth, covering her skin and seeping into her clothing. And that was when it really hit Mahiru: she had just shot someone.

“O-Oh my god!” she blurted out, hands going limp as the full weight of that fell upon her. The gun slipped from her grip, clattering down to the pavement underneath them as Mahiru took a step backwards. Her entire body was shaking, and her eyes were wide, leaving her trapped between not wanting to look and not being able to turn away. “J-Junko, I-!” She was cut off at that point, though, by the sound of a voice that was much louder than her own, and much louder than Fuyuhiko’s.

“JUNKO-CHAN!” The scream was so loud and so bloodcurdling that it somehow felt louder than the gunshot itself had, and as Mahiru twisted her head towards the sound she saw Junko’s sister sprinting towards the both of them, looking… scared. Mahiru had just enough of her wits left about her to realize how wrong that seemed.

Mukuro was on top of them in what felt like a fraction of a second, grabbing onto Junko and pulling her sister’s weight against her. “You’re- You’re hurt. You’re bleeding,” she said, voice shaking and panicked.

“No shit,” Junko replied, still clutching at her wound as she leaned up against Mukuro. “I got fucking shot. I gotta say,” she grunted, wincing in pain with each little motion that she made. “Hurts even worse than I thought it would.” After saying that she lifted her eyes, returning her gaze to Mahiru as a smile slowly stretched over her face. “I guess I have you to thank for that, Koizumi-senpai.”

“I- I didn’t-” Mahiru stammered out. Why was she suddenly feeling like she needed to apologize for this? She had come here with the intention of killing Junko- maybe not doing it herself, but that had been the entire purpose of this plan. And now she had only injured Junko, and she still couldn’t stop herself from feeling horrified by what she had just done. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Bullshit,” Junko interrupted. “You pointed a gun at me and pulled the trigger. You really expect me to believe this was some kind of accident? The only accident here is that I didn’t end up dead. But that’s alright,” she promised, starting to drag herself forward while she spoke. It was clear, from the look on Mukuro’s face, that she was just as confused as Mahiru was, but she also seemed to know better than to try to stop Junko from doing whatever it was that she wanted to do. So she continued to support Junko as the model walked forward, helping her as she gradually approached Mahiru.

“I just- I didn’t- I didn’t want anyone getting hurt!” Mahiru insisted. “I didn’t want this! I didn’t-”

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Junko reassured her. As she came to stand in front of Mahiru she let go of the wound in her shoulder for the first time since she had been shot, reaching out and moving her hand to cup the photographer’s cheek. Mahiru could feel the blood getting smeared across her face as she did so, warm and wet on her skin, but despite that she didn’t pull away. “You’re finally strong enough. You couldn’t do it when you went after Kuzuryuu-senpai. But when you were pointing that gun at me, pulling the trigger, you wanted me dead. You panicked a little bit, and you missed. But if it hadn’t been for that, you would’ve done it. I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“That’s not true!” Mahiru tried to protest, but she was shot down immediately.

“It is,” Junko insisted. “You know it is. We both do. So let’s face it, Koizumi-senpai,” she said, grin stretching wider despite the fact that she was bleeding out with each word she spoke. “You’re one of us now. I've been waiting a long time for this. Onee-chan?” she then said, turning her attention back towards Mukuro. “Let’s go.”

Mukuro nodded in response, continuing to support Junko as the two of them began to walk off down the path. And all the while Mahiru was frozen in place, unable to move aside from the shaking that still wracked her body, unable to speak, unable to do anything but watch the two of them disappear. She didn’t even notice that Fuyuhiko had started running over towards her until he was right there next to her, shouting into her ear.

“Koizumi! Are you even fucking listening to me?? Peko’s hurt! We need to get her help!”

“R-Right,” Mahiru weakly managed to stammer out, still not able to pull her eyes away from the path that Junko had disappeared down. “Let’s go…”


	51. Chapter 51

It felt like the hundredth time that she had watched someone end up in a hospital bed. Or at least, a makeshift hospital bed. Now that Mikan was already under Junko’s sway, they couldn’t rely on her medical expertise to help out in situations like this. They were going to have to do things in a decidedly less professional way.

Peko was sitting on Fuyuhiko’s bed once again, shirt peeled back enough to expose the place where the bullet had entered her arm. Between that and the still-healing wound on her stomach, her body was starting to look all the worse for wear. Meanwhile Fuyuhiko sat on a chair beside her with his sleeves rolled up, holding a pair of tweezers, a sewing needle, and a large stack of rags.

“You’re sure that you actually know how to do something like this?” Mahiru asked, observing the scene from the edge of the room. Her voice was quiet, flat. Lacking in any real energy. She had barely spoken at all since they had left the old building.

“Of course I’m sure,” Fuyuhiko replied, shooting Mahiru a glare out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve been in a yakuza family my whole damn life, haven’t I? That sort of thing teaches you how to deal with this shit.” Despite the fact that he was confident in his ability to get the bullet out and stitch the wound up, though, he wasn’t actually confident in his ability to do the job  _ well _ . Not without causing Peko a great deal of pain, at the very least. With a small sigh he turned his attention back to his bodyguard, looking her straight in the eyes as he lifted up his tools. “You ready?”

“Yes,” was all that Peko said in response, giving Fuyuhiko a solemn nod. Much like Mahiru, she had been quiet since the three of them had begun the walk back to the dorms. And perhaps that made sense- getting shot wasn’t the sort of thing that was likely to put someone in a particularly talkative mood. Not to mention, Peko never spoke much to begin with. Even with that in mind, though, it was still clear that something was bothering her: this was the second time now that she had failed. Both of her confrontations with Junko had ended this way, with Junko getting away and her sitting on a bed somewhere, slowly bleeding out while other people had to take care of her. She had been born and raised for one single purpose, but now it didn’t even seem that she could do that properly. With how much time Fuyuhiko was having to spend worrying about her and taking care of her, it seemed that she was starting to become more of a burden than an asset.

With Peko’s approval Fuyuhiko started to reach towards the girl, and he was just about to begin the procedure to get the bullet out of her arm when the relative silence was interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door. All three of them froze when they heard that noise, looking back and forth between each other in total silence. Fuyuhiko pressed a finger up to his lips, gesturing towards the door with his free hand before making a small circle with his fingers, which he then proceeded to put up to his eye. Getting his meaning Mahiru nodded, beginning to creep towards the door as silently as she could. Upon reaching it she leaned in, putting her eye up against the peephole and peering through to see…

“Mikan-chan?” Mahiru’s startled voice broke the silence, and against the better judgement that told her this could still be some sort of trap she found herself opening the door, peering at the nurse through the gap. “Mikan-chan, what are you doing here?”

“A-Ah!” Mikan immediately blurted out in response, startled by just how quickly the door had opened. She jumped backwards a little bit, and almost seemed to forget her own answer to that question before she (mostly) managed to recollect herself.

“W-Well, I… I h-heard that someone was i-injured…” Mikan stammered, immediately causing concern to flicker over Mahiru’s own expression.

“Heard?” the photographer asked. “From who?”

“Ah… J-Junko-chan…” Mikan admitted, before hastily adding on “But she t-told me to come here! She w-wanted me to make sure Pekoyama-san is okay!” When Mahiru first heard that she was confused, and she struggled to wrap her mind around why Junko would do something like that at all. But as she thought about it, the truth started to become visible: this wasn’t a peace offering. Junko wasn’t extending the olive branch, or sending Mikan over to help out as a display of good will. This was a hostage situation, and they were the ones holding the gun to their own head. What choice did they have but to accept?

Without saying anything Mahiru looked back over towards Fuyuhiko, but it wasn’t even necessary for her to do so. She already knew what his answer was going to be. And sure enough, her gaze was met with a reluctant nod from the yakuza. If letting Mikan do this procedure could save Peko even the tiniest bit of pain over doing it himself, he couldn’t even begin to consider turning her away. So, upon seeing Fuyuhiko nod, Mahiru turned her attention back towards Mikan, giving the nurse a second small nod of her own.

“Alright,” she said, stepping off to the side to clear the doorway. “Come in.”


	52. Chapter 52

Once Mikan came into the room, the procedure didn’t actually take all that long. Far less time than it would have if Fuyuhiko had been the one to do it, at the very least. Within half an hour Mikan had sedated Peko with painkillers that she had brought herself, removed the bullet, stitched up the wound, and properly dressed it. Around halfway through the process Mahiru had excused herself to the hall, not wanting to watch any longer. Having a war photographer for a mother, whose footsteps she was so eager to follow in, Mahiru had never thought that blood and bullet wounds would be the sort of thing that would bother her so deeply. But after what she had done to Junko…

Mahiru was snapped from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening again, and as she looked back up she saw Mikan quietly stepping out of the room. Mahiru had been sitting up against the wall opposite the door, but suddenly she was back on her feet, approaching her friend.

“Is she…?”

“She’s doing just fine,” Mikan replied, offering Mahiru a soft, reassuring smile. “She’s resting now. Her shoulder will continue to hurt for a while, but overall… She’s lucky. The bullet missed the bone and only damaged muscle, and that heals much faster.” Mahiru was finally able to breathe out a sigh of relief she didn’t realize she had been holding when she heard that, glad to know that Peko’s condition wasn’t going to get any worse from here on out. 

“Thank you…” Mahiru said. A moment of silence followed that, in which the photographer stared down at her own feet, rather than actually looking up at her friend, but the longer she stood there the more heavily a certain thought started to weigh on her mind. And before long, Mahiru knew it was something that she couldn’t just ignore.

“Mikan-chan,” she said, looking up again and raising her gaze to look the nurse directly in the eyes. “I… I’m sorry.” The apology surprised Mikan, and she seemed momentarily confused about its purpose as well, until Mahiru continued speaking. “I’m sorry for… Everything that I said,” she went on. “To you. About you and… And her.” Hearing those words immediately brought a smile to Mikan’s face, a faint blush crossing over her cheeks as she listened to Mahiru speak.

“Does this mean that you approve of us?” Mikan asked, the hopeful not in her voice obvious. She had never wanted to get into that fight with Mahiru, after all. She had never wanted to be at her friend’s throat like the two of them had been. All she had wanted was for the people she cared about to be happy for her.

“If this makes you happy…” Mahiru replied. “If this is really what you want, and you’re sure that she’s the person you want to be with… Then yeah. I approve of you two.” Rather than words, Mahiru’s statement was met with an excited hug as Mikan threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around her. Mahiru was nearly knocked backwards by the force of it, but she managed to stand her ground, and Mikan hardly seemed apologetic about it.

“It is what I want,” the nurse insisted, voice starting to get choked up again as she pushed her face into Mahiru’s shoulder. “She i-is the one that I want to b-be with. She… She l-loves me,” Mikan insisted. “And I love her. She w-wants me to be happy. And… And…”

“Shh…” Mahiru cooed, wrapping her own arms around her friend in turn. “I know she does…” It hurt her to stand there and listen to someone she cared about so deeply say these things. Because as much as Mahiru could try to turn a blind eye, and could try to pretend that she didn’t know everything she already knew, she still couldn’t make herself forget what Junko was really doing. She couldn’t ignore the fact that she  _ knew  _ Mikan was being used. But so far, all of her attempts to do anything about it had only resulted in people getting hurt. People nearly dying. Hiyoko getting angry with her. Mikan getting angry with her. None of her attempts to interfer had accomplished anything. They had only made the entire situation worse. Who was she to think that she could keep meddling like this? Who was she to think that she knew what was best when she so clearly didn’t? Maybe Mikan’s happiness was built on a lie. But if it felt real to her, maybe that was all that mattered.

“Hey…” Mahiru said, eventually breaking the silence that had settled in between them. “Can you… Do something for me?” When she heard that Mikan pulled back a little bit, lifting her head from Mahiru’s shoulder and looking up at her friend. Now it was easy for Mahiru to see that the other girl had been crying.

“W-What do you need…?” Mikan replied, still cautious of anything that Mahiru might ask of her.

“Can you tell Enoshima that… I want to meet with her again. Alone this time.” Mikan’s face lit up when she heard that, and while she didn’t know the details of why Mahiru wanted to speak with Junko, or the details of what had gone down between them in general, she could only assume that it was something good.

“O-Of course!” Mikan replied, jumping back a little bit more and beaming brightly. “I’ll t-tell her right away!”

“Thank you, Mikan-chan,” Mahiru sighed, forcing herself to smile despite the fact that she really didn’t feel like it at the moment. She already had a feeling that she was going to regret this.


	53. Chapter 53

“I do have to admit, Enoshima-san, your plan is coming along better than I thought it would.”

“Oh yeah? Starting to get second thoughts about helping me out?”

“Not at all. None of this would have interested me in the first place if I had expected you to fall flat right out of the gate.”

“Well keep on watching, because I’m not about to- SHIT! Jesus, what the fuck are you doing??”

“S-Sorry, I’m sorry,” Mukuro quickly stammered out, hands dropping from Junko’s shoulder as she took a small step backwards. She was in the process of changing the bandages on her sister’s wound- while Junko had relied on Mikan’s help to get the bullet removed and the hole stitched up in the first place, Mukuro had seen enough injuries like this during her time with Fenrir to be able to handle the maintenance while it slowly healed. Junko’s shirt was off while they went through this process, leaving her in just her bra and an assortment of bandages. It was a sight that would have gotten most teenage boys riled up. But Nagito seemed entirely apathetic to it.

“Why don’t you just cut my arm clean off if you’re gonna rough me up like this? It’ll probably hurt less,” Junko hissed, glaring at her twin out of the corner of her eye.

“Ikusaba-san is doing her best,” Nagito said, only to find one of the fingers at the end of Junko’s good arm jabbing towards him.

“I didn’t call you over here so you could start kissing my sister’s ass, hopefucker,” she snapped. Despite the aggression, though, Nagito remained as calm as ever.

“You need my help again.” It was clearly a statement, rather than a question.

“I don’t  _ need _ your help for anything,” Junko replied. “But as long as you’re still making yourself useful to me then yeah, I’ve got something else to pop into your busy schedule of… Whatever the hell it is a lucky student does anyway. What a bullshit talent,” she muttered under her breath, before using her uninjured arm to reach out towards a stack of photographs that were sitting beside her. They had been laying there face down since Nagito had walked into the room, and while he had been wondering about them, he hadn’t actually bothered to ask. He figured that Junko would tell him sooner or later, and it seemed that he was correct in that assumption.

“Eenie meenie minie moe, which of you is next to go…” Junko humed to herself, long red nails combing through the stack of photos like a flipbook. Eventually she snatched one up, flipping it and holding it out for Nagito to see. “This one’s a friend of yours, right?”

“All of my classmates are friends of mine,” Nagito replied.

“I know  _ you  _ think that, but I’m pretty sure this chump is the only one sad enough to feel the same way.” Junko began to wave the photo around in front of her, and Nagito got the cue, stepping forward to take it.

“And what are you planning on having me do this time?” he asked.

“For now? Recon. Stay close to him. Get all buddy buddy. Really figure out what makes him tick.” Upon hearing those words, a bemused smile tugged at Nagito’s lips.

“You want me to gather information?” he replied. “Could it be that, for once, the great Junko Enoshima doesn’t have her next move planned?”

“I do have my next move planned, and I just told you what it is, dipshit. Schemes for world domination aren’t hatched overnight.”

“Or maybe you’ve just gotten ahead of yourself. This seems like the sort of thing that you should plan in its entirety before setting any part of into motion,” Nagito pointed out, turning his back to Junko and beginning his lazy stroll towards the door. “Your cracks are already beginning to show, Enoshima-san. But then again, what do I know? You Ultimates are all so brilliantly talented, and I’m just a fortunate nobody.” Junko’s nails clawed into the sheets of her bed, and when she spoke it was through gritted teeth.

“Onee-chan, how hard would it be to snap this lanky shit’s neck?”

“Huh?” Mukuro replied, blinking a few times as she tried to figure out whether that was a serious question. “I… Not very hard. Do you… Actually want…?”

“No,” Junko reluctantly admitted. “Not yet.”


End file.
